I Loved Him
by Light-Eco-Sage
Summary: A series of one shots revolving around all the people who have loved Inuyasha: past, present, and future. Some are romance, some are familial, and some are slightly twisted. Chapter 13: OC Kenta.
1. I Loved Him as a Son, Part 1

**I Loved Him**

**By: Light-Eco-Sage**

**Rated: Mature for romance and sexuality. (The sex parts will involve Inuyasha/Kagome.)**

**Summary: A one-shot series revolving around all the people who loved Inuyasha. It is not always romantic love, and some of it will be not strictly canon.**

**Disclaimer: **_**Inuyasha**_** is created and owned by Rumiko Takahashi.**

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**Chapter I: I Loved Him as a Son, Part 1**

The Great Dog General, Inu no Taisho, groaned in pain as his blood stained the snow below his feet red. Even though he was considered the most powerful Youkai alive, he did not escape his fight with Ruukotsusei entirely unharmed. Even with his nearly limitless strength his wounds festered and he knew deep in his heart that he was not long for this world.

He grit his fangs against the pain as he took on his true form to better shield himself from the pain of his wounds. The stabbing pain dulled into a dull ache and he was able to push himself to continue his journey. The castle he sought was on his lands, not far from his home. Before, he had never taken much notice of the human castle until he had traveled there one year to collect the Lord's usual promise of fealty to the Youkai Lord and he met _her_.

She had been the second daughter of the castle Lord. And, while her beauty was alluring, it was the steel in her spirit that drew the great Inu no Taisho to her. There was a true-bred strength in her that seemed to skip over her siblings. The Inu no Taisho began to meet with her, in secret under the full moon. After many months, their mutual interest in each other had turned into friendship and then passionate love.

At first, they resisted their love, knowing the sort of pain and hardship they could unleash if they gave in and produced a hanyou child. But neither heart could be denied. Inu no Taisho had taken a human woman as a mate and she had just recently given birth to their hanyou son.

Inu no Taisho had only seen his son once since birth, looking precisely how Inuhanyous usually looked. He had his father's silver hair and a pair of dog ears on his head that belonged to neither human nor Youkai and instead marked his status as half. He had still been blind (and deaf too) the last time he saw his son, but Inu no Taisho knew that his son would have his golden eyes.

As he and his mate expected, the birth was not looked upon happily either among his family or hers. But Inu no Taisho had all ready gotten the solemn word of his elder son, Sesshomaru, that he would not harm the infant and only the most foolish of humans would dare to attack any offspring of a Youkai Lord. His son was protected by his status as a Youkai Lord and when he passed to the netherworld…

Inu no Taisho growled, forcing the thought from his mind. He had time left, but precious little time. He would never be able to watch his infant son grow up into the powerful hanyou he knew he could be, but he could see his new son and mate one last time. There was time enough for that, at least.

It was night and the castle was guarded, of course, but that was of no concern for him. It did not stop him during the entirety of his relationship with the Princess and it did not stop him now. The human guards took no notice of him as he entered the grounds.

He followed his mate's scent and the sound of her heartbeat unerringly to her room where she slept with her newborn son curled against her body. Inu no Taisho entered the room with absolute silence, gazing at his part-human family. They were so different from his Youkai family that it took his breath away.

His first wife was still alive and well, but theirs had been a marriage of politics. She was a strong and beautiful Inuyoukai bitch, but she did not stir him like this human woman. This human woman had shown him a love that Youkai typically don't experience and, now that he knew the wonders of a human's heart, he would not give it up.

His golden eyes fell on his young hanyou son. The infant was curled into his mother's breast, sleeping peaceful. Inu no Taisho could tell by sight that his son was no longer blind and deaf, but neither of those senses would work as well as his nose for a few days.

As he moved closer to mother and child, his son could scent the smell of blood and began to whimper fitfully, stirring his mother from her sleep. "Baby…" She sighed, since the boy was yet to receive a name. Babies were typically not named until a week after birth in the human tradition due to the high fatality rate among newborn human babes. And then she saw out of the corner of her eye was her son had smelled: her love and mate, covered in blood.

"Darling!" She gasped, standing up as gently as she could without further annoying her newborn and making her way over towards her injured mate. "What happened?"

Inu no Taisho ignored her question, instead pulling her into an embrace. "Izayoi…" He whispered, burying his nose against her hair and breathing in her lovely fragrance that had held him captive since the day he met her.

"Taisho." Izayoi whispered in reply. It was not his name, of course, merely a title. But Inu no Taisho was so immensely old that he no longer remembered the name he had been born with. The great Inuyoukai went to his knees and Izayoi knelt with him, clutching onto him desperately as her heart began to realize what her mind could not accept. Any human with wounds like his would all ready be dead. Even as a Youkai as powerful as him, his wounds were fatal.

"I just wanted…" Inu no Taisho whispered to her. "I just wanted to see you again… and our son."

Nodding, and with tears filling her eyes, Izayoi retrieved her newborn from the futon and passed the tiny infant to his father. Inu no Taisho gazed at his son, his eyes finally open and his ears able to hear. The infant hanyou's golden eyes stared up at his father, uncomprehending. A full Youkai child would be able to remember this moment to remember the face of their father, but Inu no Taisho knew that this son would be different. His son would not remember his face or the sound of his voice. But his son would remember his scent. Even minutes after birth a pup could remember the scent of its parents.

The Youkai lowered his head towards his son, nuzzling the boy with his nose. The infant still fussed, because he instinctively knew that the mixture of the smells of his father and blood was not a good thing. But Inu no Taisho growled low in his chest; a sound meant to sooth his son. It did not work completely, but the infant hanyou did calm down a little. The tiny child even returned the nuzzle, giving a tiny little whine in the Inu language that could mean something like 'Father'.

Inu no Taisho gazed at his son, the one that he would never see grow up. He knew that life would be hard on the boy. Life was hard for any hanyou, no matter how noble his blood. But the great Inuyoukai knew that his son was a strong one; that he would find his place in the world where so many hanyous had failed. His son was destined for greatness, of that there was no doubt.

"Taisho…" Izayoi whispered, placing a loving hand on her mate's shoulder.

Inu no Taisho met her gaze. "Izayoi, my love, you must be strong." Tears were in her eyes now, but she did not scream and cry. She nodded her head, lips set firmly to stop herself from crying. "I all ready have Sesshomaru's word that he will protect you and our son when I'm gone. But, knowing my son like I do, his protection will stop at merely protecting you and our son from death. It will be up to you now…"

He trailed off, bringing his son to his face again, greedily taking in his pup's scent. The smell was all ready imprinted on him, but now he could not get enough of the pup-smell, the way the child smelled of himself and Izayoi.

"My son… my Inuyasha." Inu no Taisho whispered for only his small part-human family to hear. "If you can remember any one thing besides my scent, always remember that I love you." He gave the babe a final nuzzle and told him that he loved him in the Inu language.

He reluctantly gave the child back to his mother and stood. "I love you, Izayoi." He whispered as he disappeared out the window and was never seen alive again.


	2. I Loved Him as a Son, Part 2

**LES: Next up: Izayoi, of course! Just so you guys know: I have no idea how grammar works when it comes to medieval Japanese kanji… or Japanese at all, really. So I'm kinda cheating and making it like English. It's probably wrong, though. I know that different languages will handle grammar very differently.**

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**Chapter II: I Loved Him as a Son, Part 2**

Just as she promised her mate before he died, Izayoi stayed strong for the sake of her son. And he needed that strength. The first years of his life were spent in ignorant comfort. Izayoi kept her son to herself, hidden away from the rest of her family and the people in the village. When he became a toddler he left the confines of his mother's room to explore the rest of the house. Thankfully, he was still too young to understand the looks of disgust that he received from his human family.

Not for the first time, Izayoi wondered to herself what her family saw wrong with her son. It was true that his father was a Youkai, but Inuyasha was just about the same in terms of personality to any human child. The only real difference between him and the other young children at his age was that his senses worked much better than a human's.

Inuyasha was, by and large, a happy and curious child and almost completely unaware that he was any different from his human mother.

He was incredibly intelligent. When he was just three years old, he took an interest in his mother's writing and asked her if she could teach him after Izayoi explained the concept of reading and writing to him. He took to his lessons with enthusiasm rarely seen in young children.

The first word she taught him to write was his own name, Inuyasha. She showed him how to hold the brush and gently held his hand in hers as she guided him in the motions needed to put his name to paper. It only took a few tries for the child's scribble to become a recognizable form of his name.

Her father had seen her teaching Inuyasha how to write her name and frankly told her not to bother with educating her son, believing that Inuyasha would never be able to learn how to read or write. But Izayoi ignored her father and persisted with teaching her son. All ready he had come much further than anyone would have thought and, while his childish penmanship left much to be desired he was much further ahead than any human child his age.

Izayoi held her son on her lap, and he watched intently as she wrote three words down on the paper. The first and last words were ones that Inuyasha knew very well: his name and his mother's name (though he always read the word 'Izayoi' as 'Mama'). But the middle word was one that was completely new to him. "Mama, what's that word?" Inuyasha asked, pointed out the middle word with a clawed finger as he gazed up at her.

"It means 'loves', darling." Izayoi answered.

Inuyasha grinned brightly in response and ran his claw down the small sentence as he read it. "Mama loves Inuyasha."

She embraced him. "That's right. Mama loves you very much."

He reached for the ink brush and Izayoi gave it to him. He leaned closer to the paper, writing down some words much slower than Izayoi could. But she waited patiently for him to finish. He looked so adorable when he was concentrating on something: his ears on alert and sometimes even sticking his tongue out a little.

A few minutes later, Inuyasha proudly displayed the results of his work. The words were hardly perfect, but Izayoi could understand what he wrote down perfectly. As he had done, Izayoi ran her finger down the words as she read them: "Inuyasha loves Mama." Izayoi embraced him and he turned around in her grip, hugging her back. This was almost exactly how they stayed when it was his human night. "I'm so proud of you, my darling." And she was. 'Loves' had been the first word that he was able to write without her first guiding his hand in the strokes.

She rubbed his little puppy ears as a reward, and she was rewarded in turn by a soft purr from her son as he nuzzled into his mother, freely enjoying the ear-rub.

She knew that life would not always be this easy for them. Inuyasha had yet to meet anyone who would call him a hanyou. For the most part, they were ignored by her family and that was many times better than the treatment they would receive when he was exposed to more than her family. She also knew that the best thing she could do for him was make his younger years as happy as she could. She would love him and adore him when no one else would. He was not simply a hanyou to her, but her precious son.

"Never forget how much I love you, my precious Inuyasha." Izayoi told him.

"I won't, Mama, promise." The small boy promised.

And Izayoi did do everything in her power to comfort and protect Inuyasha for the time she had with him. She stayed up with him on his human nights, holding him to herself as a constant reassurance that she was still there with him. She comforted him the first time that someone called him a hanyou and she had to explain to him what he was and tell him that his life would not always be happy or carefree. She did everything she could to heal him when he was violently rejected by his older brother, Sesshomaru. Her mate had been right. Sesshomaru would not kill his younger brother, but he did not hold back on punishing the young boy for calling him 'brother' either. When everyone else turned their back, Izayoi was still with Inuyasha.

Even when the sickness took her before her time when her son was still much too young to be alone and forced to find a way to take care of himself in a harsh world that bore him nothing but hatred; Izayoi's spirit continued to watch over her son.

Sometimes, when he slept, Inuyasha would feel his mother's arms wrap around him, holding him like she used to. He thought that he was imagining the feeling, but it was enough to remind him that he had been loved, and that was enough.


	3. I Loved Him as My Only Happiness

**LES: I should have said this all before, but this is a recent decision on my part. For the most part, every single chapter in this story will revolve around a character who is in the manga. However, there are two exceptions and this chapter is one of them. The concept of this original character came from one of my failed Inuyasha stories, but I still like the concept so I'm going to use it in this one. This chapter contains sexual content, but no real 'romance'. You'll see what I mean…**

**Miyako is a Japanese name that means "beautiful night child". It seems fitting given that she's a Nekohanyou (half cat demon).**

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**Chapter III: I Loved Him as My Only Chance at Happiness**

It goes without saying that life as a hanyou was hard. That was the first lesson that Miyako learned as a child. Like all hanyous, she had learned of loss early on in her life. Her human mother had died giving birth to her. It was a birth complication that could have been handled and saved the woman's life if anyone had been willing to help her. But none of the people in the village were willing to help a woman in labor with a hanyou child. Her Nekoyoukai father had taken in his daughter, but was soon killed when it was discovered that he sired a hanyou child and acknowledged the babe as his own.

Despite what was commonly known, hanyou were conceived more often than people believed. Most hanyou were conceived as the result of the rape of a human. The difference then was that if the result hanyou child tried to approach his or her Youkai parent, they would be instantly rejected and most likely killed. Youkai had no feelings for their bastard hanyou children.

Youkai who did this were not looked down upon by their fellows because they did the right thing in eliminating their mistake. But Youkai that acknowledged a hanyou child as his or her own… they could never be forgiven.

So Miyako had begun living the solitary life of a hanyou, with nothing but her claws, fangs, senses and wits to help her survive in the hostile world that she found herself in. And, despite all the hardships of her life, she found herself reaching the age of sixteen and still very much alive.

Of course, once she reached the age of physical maturity, she began to wish that she hadn't.

With physical maturity came sexual maturity, and mating season was almost as hard on hanyous as it was on full Youkai. Though, in many ways, it was much worse because Youkai could find mates. The odds of a hanyou finding a mate were a million to one.

There were basically two ways for a hanyou to experience sex besides raping someone. The first way was to find a willing human during the hanyou's mortal time. But it was risky. If anyone discovered the deception, then both involved would be killed. The second, and far harder way was to find a mature hanyou.

But mature hanyou were very rare. Almost no hanyou lived to maturity. In fact, in the whole of Miyako's life she had never met an adult male hanyou. No matter how far she searched when it was mating season, she was never able to find any male hanyou even close to sexual maturity.

It was currently early spring, mating season, and Miyako's erect cat-like ears were constantly on alert, both for threats and a possible mate. As a nocturnal creature, her coloring was dark to blend in with the night. Both her hair and her ears were jet-black. Even the clothes she wore were of a darker color. Only her bright yellow eyes could be seen in the darkness, eyes that gave her exceptional night vision, even for a hanyou.

She sat up in the branch of a strong tree, fidgeting almost constantly to alleviate some of the repressed energy in her body. And she was just about to the point when it seemed like she would be able to have a restful night when something loud crashed through the woods below.

The darkness below may as well have been daylight for how well her eyes could see through the darkness. A young man of obvious Youkai blood crashed through the woods and into the clearing below. Unlike her, he was a creature of the sun. His silver hair made him stand out like a sore thumb in the dark.

An enormous oni crashed into the clearing after him. "Filthy hanyou!" The oni yelled, swinging a club at the young silver-haired man. Miyako leaned further out on the branch, staring in shock. The young man was a hanyou? Now she could see ears similar to hers sticking out of his silver hair. But he was not part-neko. Part-inu, perhaps?

"I told you to leave me alone!" The male hanyou growled, cracking his knuckles and swinging his claws at the oni. He cut the Youkai clean in half, with nothing but his claws, which nearly shocked Miyako to the point of falling out of the tree. She could kill an oni like that, but she'd never been able to cut on in half before. He was exceptionally strong as a hanyou. The two halves of the oni fell to the ground and the male hanyou wiped his bloody claws onto his robes. "Feh." He snorted as he began to turn and bound away from the scene.

But before he could take a single leap, Miyako dropped down from the tree and landed in front of him. He jumped back in shock, brandishing his claws again and growling threateningly. Up close now, Miyako could smell the inu and human in him. He was certainly the child of an Inuyoukai and a human. He was a few years younger than her, perhaps around fourteen or so. _Sexually mature._ Miyako thought, staring at him.

"Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm a hanyou too, see? A Nekohanyou." She wiggled her ears for him, drawing his attention to her head. His eyes widened and he lowered his claws.

"How… how do I know this is not a trap?" He asked, suspicious.

"Please." Miyako sighed. "Hanyous spend enough time being hunted and hated from all sides… we don't need to waste time hating each other." She moved closer and took a few good sniffs of his scent. It confirmed what her eyes all ready told her: that while young he was capable of sex. She could smell it, when she got close enough for him to smell her arousal; his body began to respond in turn.

She was unsurprised by the blush that colored his face and he took a few steps back. "Um… what are you…?"

He didn't finish the question before Miyako had dropped her kimono. His golden eyes widened as his eyes locked with her chest. But as she moved closer to him his Youkai instincts kicked into high gear and he came to her.

Miyako did not have any second thoughts as he disrobed and shoved her to the ground. There would be no children from this union. Just like Youkai of different species could not produce children, a Nekohanyou and an Inuhanyou could not have a child. If he were a Nekohanyou as well, it would be another story. And without procreation they would not be real mates, just what humans would call in a few centuries: fuck buddies.

He mounted her like an animal and bit into the back of her neck, growling low in his throat as a warning that he could no longer stop himself even if she wanted. Miyako didn't mind. As a hanyou, she had to get it when she could get it. The odds were that this Inuhanyou would be the only mature male hanyou she would ever meet. She literally could not afford to be picky.

Their joining was harsh and fast, with no love behind their movements but only an animalistic need for satisfaction. Even when joined together in a passion that neither thought they would ever experience, they both remained alert to their surroundings. It would be just like a hanyou's luck for a Youkai or a group of humans to attack them now.

After a few exhilarating moments he came with a growl and her with a yowl. He recovered himself, resting against her back and panting hard. She sighed and slowly moved out from under him, giving him time to back off on his own. He did so, allowing her to leave. He sat on the forest floor, trembling with receding desire.

Miyako also sat beside him. Now that it was over, she could hardly believe what had just happened. She never believed that she would know a man; but now, thanks to this Inuhanyou, she could face her fate knowing that she was a woman now.

It occurred to her: she didn't even know his name. In fact, she didn't know anything about him besides the fact that he was an Inuhanyou. Well, she knew that he was incredibly powerful. His Youkai parent had to be a truly powerful Youkai. But she couldn't even begin to guess who that was, because she knew nothing about the Inuyoukai tribe.

"My name…" She began, and he met her eyes. "My name is Miyako."

"I'm…" The Inuhanyou cleared his throat nervously. "I'm Inuyasha."

Miyako stood up and began to pull her kimono back on. Inuyasha jolted into action and also began to pull back on his clothes. When she was finished, she smiled at him. "Thank you, Inuyasha." And, with that, she disappeared into the night.

Sometimes, when Inuyasha had time to himself, he wondered what had happened to the Nekohanyou Miyako who had given him his first impossible experience with sex.

The truth was that she died during the time when he was sealed to the Goshinboku. But she did not mind when her time came. She died with no regrets because she had known happiness in her life, however briefly.

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**LES: So, there you go… one of the two OC characters that will be in this story. Now on to the next chapter… which will probably be the hardest one of all…**


	4. I Loved Him as an Escape

**LES: I'll be frank. I don't like Kikyou. But I'm going to **_**try**_** to do this fairly. This story takes place before Naraku happens. Because Kikyou is only slightly tolerable during that time frame or after Kagome heals her. But I'm not willing to deal with the whole love triangle thing, so before Naraku.**

**However, even being as fair as I can be, I still have major issues with Kikyou. So, just a fair warning… if you like Kikyou, you may not appreciate this chapter.**

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**Chapter IV: I Loved Him as an Escape**

Kikyou felt unusually giddy as she made her way down from the forest and back to the village of her birth. Of course, she was always careful to maintain the aloof expression that she was expected to maintain as a miko and the protector of the dangerous Shikon no Tama.

She had never volunteered for the duty of protecting the Shikon jewel from the Youkai that lusted after the power that it could bestow. But she had no choice. No miko could match her powers of purification. With the jewel in her possession, it always maintained a beautiful pink color, a sure sign that it was her duty to watch the thing.

Willing or not, she had been trained since childhood to do her duty, and that's precisely what she did. She did it faithfully until the day that everything changed: the day that a young Inuhanyou came after the jewel.

He came after her again and again, and was repelled time and time again. Most Youkai were never given the chance to make a bid for the jewel more than once. All of those Youkai had been purified by Kikyou without hesitation.

But there was something different about the Inuhanyou that made her stay the killing blow, no matter how many times he demanded that she just finish him off. He was part Youkai, but he was also half-human. He didn't carry the full taint of his Youkai heritage, which became evident in the fact that no matter how many times he attacked her, he never sought her life, just the jewel.

Unlike the other mindless Youkai that came after the jewel, this Inuhanyou could be either driven off with no harm down or saved.

And then, as the weeks, Kikyou could sense the Inuhanyou watching her with greater frequency. He didn't attack so much anymore, just stayed in the trees and watched as she gathered herbs with the company of the village children.

It took Kikyou many days to gather the courage to ask the hanyou to come out of hiding in the trees and to sit next to her. He did so, maintaining plenty of space between them. He glared at her with untrusting eyes, harsh eyes that demanded to know what sort of trick she was planning to play on him in an effort to get him to lower his guard.

But Kikyou was honest with him. She just wanted to talk to him. That first day, she only got a few minutes of conversation with the Inuhanyou, but it was enough to learn his name: Inuyasha.

She gave her name properly in return, and she knew from the expression on his honest face that he was not used to being treated by humans as she was. She could only begin to guess what his story was, but she had no doubt that it must've been years since he had a good experience with a human.

As the weeks then turned into months and the seasons began to turn, Kikyou noticed that Inuyasha's presence had become a semi-permanent fixture in the valley. He would sometimes disappear for a few days, but he never went beyond her ability to sense his youki and always returned. Kikyou suspected that he was clearing out the Youkai in the area, though he would never confess when Kikyou would point out the drop of Youkai she could sense in the valley.

Kikyou noticed a change in Inuyasha. As each of their meetings passed, he became more open with her. He still would not talk about his past, besides a passing mention of his parent's names, but Kikyou did not mind. Inuyasha's openness and manners had improved a great deal over the time that she knew him, and she was proud of the progress that he made.

It happened so gradually that Kikyou did not even notice it at first. She didn't even realize that her meetings with Inuyasha were starting to become the high point of her life. She could talk to him about many things, even some things that she was afraid to talk about to anyone else. Inuyasha would sometimes respond with his own form of tough-love, but that's what Kikyou felt that she needed sometimes. And even if he had nothing to say in response, he was a wonderful listener.

It wasn't until one day, when she and Inuyasha were sitting in the shade of a tree and she had just drawn a chuckle from him after telling him a story about the antics of her little sister that she realized…

The sound of his laughter sent a soft flutter through her heart. She froze with shock and fear, staring at the hanyou until he began to sense her stare on him and the laughter died down. "Kikyou? What's wrong?" He asked, a little unnerved by her stare.

But Kikyou, even knowing the rudeness of her staring, could not bring herself to look away from him. This feeling… it _couldn't_ be! Her friendship with Inuyasha was all ready looked down upon enough by the villagers and neither of them had done anything outside the bounds of propriety. They'd never even touched each other's bare skin before, not even in the most innocent of places. If these feelings were what she thought they were, how would the village react? What would be the effect on her spiritual powers? Would she become tainted to the point where she could not purify the jewel?

Even with these thoughts weighing her down, the feeling deep in her breast would not go away. "I'm fine, Inuyasha. I just realized that I must return to the village. The sun is starting to set…"

Inuyasha gazed up at the sky, a little shocked at how much time had passed while he spoke with Kikyou. He had never before let his guard down so much with anymore before, not since his mother died. "All right, Kikyou. I'll see you around." And with that, he stood up and bound into the forest.

Kikyou watched him go for a few seconds before she stood and began to walk down to the village, biting her lower lip with worry. Could this feeling really be what she thought it was? Was she falling in love with Inuyasha the hanyou?

The very thought of his name caused butterflies to start in her stomach, confirming what she had just figured out but now knew to be true: she was in love with Inuyasha. And she had no idea what she should do about it.

Pondering the dilemma that she found herself in, Kikyou made it safely to the village, unaware of Inuyasha's eyes following her the whole way down.

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That night, Kikyou pondered her situation while she was purifying the Shikon no Tama. No matter which way she looked at it, the villagers would never allow their miko to have a relationship with an Inuhanyou. Nor could she relinquish her powers to become a wife while the Shikon no Tama still existed.

There was an old myth associated with the jewel: that if one managed to make the correct wish on the jewel, one that was completely unselfish, then the jewel would be purified and would cease to exist.

If she and Inuyasha could find the right wish…

Kikyou mentally scoffed at her thought. The wish would have to be utterly pure to exorcise the jewel. Even the smallest taint in the wish would allow the jewel to continue to exist and would possibly twist the wish into an evil form of itself. Was a Youkai even capable of behaving unselfishly?

But no… Kikyou realized. Inuyasha was not a Youkai. He was a hanyou, and therefore he was half-human. She had seen many times the evidence of his human heart within his Youkai body, and that was something she loved about him. If a Youkai could not disobey its blood and be unselfish… perhaps a hanyou could be stronger!

But what wish? Only one that was completely unselfish could purify the jewel. She spent many hours pondering this, until the answer came to her. The answer that would allow them to be together, if he choose to be with her.

She did not doubt that he would. He was just as lonely as she was. She knew that he would stay with her, given the chance.

They could wish for Inuyasha to become human! As a human, Inuyasha would no longer be trapped between two worlds. He could join the human world as a man. Kikyou would make the wish for Inuyasha to be happy, to give him a future worth living rather than the constant worry that came with his hanyou existence. Therefore, the wish was unselfish. And, once he was human and the jewel was purified and no more, Kikyou would have no further obligations to keep her spiritual powers intact and she would be free to be a woman and to take a husband. And that husband could be Inuyasha if he wanted.

They could live together, finally having a place to belong together. They would have love, and a family, and grow old together in comfort and security… and with friends and each other.

She could love Inuyasha freely!

She set the jewel down as she decided that she would meet with Inuyasha and tell him of her plan tomorrow. And, if he agreed, they could both be free from the hard lives they did not desire.

He could escape and she could escape.

She did not notice that, as she ran out of the Temple that housed the Shikon no Tama, the purified jewel turned a slightly darker color. The dark Youkai spirits inside could feel Kikyou's selfish desire to escape from her responsibilities and the malevolent spirit laughed cruelly as it imagined how it would pervert her wish when the time came for her to make it.

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**LES: Once again, I do not like Kikyou, and this was probably the hardest chapter for me to write… yes, even harder than the last one. Hopefully, this story is at least a little fair. But 'fair' does not mean 'deluded'. I have issues with Kikyou's planned wish, and I think it would have been absolutely corrupted if her and Inuyasha went through with it.**


	5. I Loved Him as a Mistake

**LES: It is Sesshomaru's turn in the fire! This one is hard. Really hard. But not hard like Kikyou's was hard. I've written a lot of fanfiction for a lot of fandoms, but I think I'm right in saying that Sesshomaru is THE hardest character to understand. I usually pride myself in my ability to sniff out a character's motivations, but Sesshomaru is just simply impossible! The guy defies all attempts to understand his actions. And he, at times, seems to go out of his way to be contradictory. His words say one thing, and his actions say another. Curse you, Sesshomaru!**

**Sesshomaru: This Sesshomaru sees no reason to explain his actions to a pathetic human author.**

**LES: … *sour face* Exactly. Just for that, this fanfiction will make you secretly care about your brother. What do you think about that?**

**Sesshomaru: The whims of a human wench have no effect on this Sesshomaru. Do what you want in your pathetic story. Just know that while you are writing, this Sesshomaru will be chocking the life out of that pathetic half-breed.**

**LES: Whatever you say, Sesshomaru. *thinks* **_**Like we've never heard that before…**_

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**Chapter V: I Loved Him as a Mistake**

Youkai Lords were not known for displays of emotion, but if there was one emotion that was completely foreign to the Inuyoukai Lord Sesshomaru, it was regret.

There was no doubt that it was a beautiful summer day in the land of Musashi. And yet the noble Youkai Lord passed through the landscape without leaving an imprint of his passing or allowing himself to take in the surroundings.

He was here, as crazy as it seemed, to chase a rumor. A rumor regarding his disgraceful half-brother, Inuyasha.

He could still remember the day, a decade and a half ago, when his father had informed him of his half-brother's existence. Sesshomaru had, of course, known about his father's dalliances with a mortal woman. He had not cared that his father was taken with a mortal woman. It was not unusual for a Youkai to take a human as a plaything. What had inspired Sesshomaru's hatred was when the abominable hanyou child was conceived, his father refused to do the honorable thing in killing his lover and unborn hanyou child. Instead his father had as good as told him to treat the filthy hanyou as a brother, and to watch over him in the case that anything happened to the Youkai Lord.

When his father had died, Sesshomaru had taken his land and titles, and he fulfilled his father's wishes in the absolute minimum capacity. He had protected the village where the hanyou and his whore mother lived from Youkai attack, but that was it. What care did Sesshomaru have for a hanyou child and his mother being bullied by humans? He did not care.

He'd had almost no contact with the child growing up. In fact, the closest he ever got to Inuyasha was the day that he'd been forced to visit the village in the interest of fulfilling his duties as the Lord of the Western Lands. He'd walked down the human's street with several of his Inuyoukai retainers, when the hanyou had suddenly appeared in front of him.

To this day, Sesshomaru had no idea what had driven the hanyou into the street, but the evidence at the time suggested that he was trying to escape some human bullies. Sesshomaru had snorted. It was further proof of how inferior hanyous were to true Youkai. No Youkai would allow itself to be bullied by mere humans.

The child Inuyasha could not have been older than five or six and he froze when his eyes met his older half-brother. His Inuyoukai retainers instantly knew that he and the pitiful whelp shared the same father and laughed quietly to themselves.

Embarrassed. That was what Sesshomaru felt at the time, but he did not allow it to show on his face. Why must he suffer the shame of his father's mistake?

However, all of Sesshomaru's thoughts to keeping control of the situation ended when Inuyasha said a single word: "Brother?"

Without his expression changing in the slightest to give away the vast amount of rage he felt, Sesshomaru summoned his whip and lashed the defenseless hanyou. The whip caught him just below the chin and flayed open his neck. The hanyou's dirty blood sprayed down on the ground as the pitiful whelp cried out in pain and shock.

But Sesshomaru's heart was utterly unmoved by the child's pain. A Youkai could heal from a wound like that in a few days. For a hanyou, it would take a week, but it would heal. The humans who witnessed began to laugh at the weak hanyou and his misfortune.

"Never address this Sesshomaru thus again, hanyou." Sesshomaru told his half-brother coldly. "This Sesshomaru is a Youkai Lord and you are nothing but our father's mistake. You are a hanyou, lower than the dirt beneath a true Youkai's feet. Never forget that." Then the hanyou's whore of a mother pushed her way through the crowd and gathered her trembling son up, ignoring the jeers she got from the crowd.

Sesshomaru had to admit that she was beautiful for a human, and he could see why his father took interest in her. But why did he keep her? How could the life of a human wench and a filthy hanyou ever be equal to that of an Inuyoukai Lord? "Woman. You will see to it that your son receives the proper discipline. The hanyou must come to understand the manner in which he must address his betters."

Inuyasha had curled into his mother's bosom, but she met his eyes without a trace of fear. She knew that her mate had tasked his son with their protection, and even his intense hatred would not make him back out on his word. She bowed, turned, and left without a word.

That was many years ago now, and that was the closest that Sesshomaru had ever come to Inuyasha. The Youkai Lord did keep tabs on his brother over the years, a little shocked every time he received the report that his half-brother was still alive, but roaming the country as a wild thing.

That had changed in the last few months. Inuyasha had no longer roamed, but had seemed content to stay within range of an insignificant human village. And, soon, the Youkai of the area began to spread the rumor that a temple miko had fallen in love with an Inuhanyou.

But it was the rumor that came next that compelled Sesshomaru to leave the comfort of his castle and mate and take a journey to the land of Musashi. It was just outside the boundary of his lands, but it was not within any Youkai Lord's territory.

The rumors were that the love between the miko and the hanyou had soured and ended in a brutal fashion. Sesshomaru had come to see the truth for himself.

The human village seemed almost dead. It lacked the activity that Sesshomaru normally associated with human villages. It was a village in mourning for a beloved member of the community. But Sesshomaru had no interest in them. Instead, he made his way to the forest, and from there, to the tallest tree in the forest.

As soon as he saw the trunk of the tree, he knew the rumors were true. His half-brother, Inuyasha, had been bewitched by his miko lover and affixed to the tree with an arrow through his heart. Sesshomaru stepped closer, examining the spell on the arrow. He was no expert in miko magic, but what he saw caused even him to feel a small amount of sympathy for the hanyou.

_His miko lover must have truly hated him in the end._ Sesshomaru thought to himself. _She hated the hanyou so much that she even denied him peace in death. If she is dead as the rumors say, then he will remain in this state for eternity for only the miko who cast the spell can break it._

Sesshomaru shuttered at the thought. An eternity spent in darkness. He would never open his eyes or move from this spot again.

Sesshomaru took a step closer, putting his talon under Inuyasha's chin and tilting his head up. This was now the closest that Sesshomaru had ever come to Inuyasha and the first time he had seen the hanyou with his own eyes since he was a child.

It struck Sesshomaru how much Inuyasha resembled their father. Sesshomaru himself took much more after his mother than he did his father. But Inuyasha definitely had their father's looks.

Sesshomaru's claws were resting against Inuyasha's throat, and the hanyou was still trapped by the spell anchored by the miko's arrow embedded in his chest. It would be such a simple thing, to kill the hanyou that had caused him such embarrassment. There was nothing that Inuyasha could do to stop him from tightening his grip and ceasing the flow of air to his lungs, or to tear his throat open like he did as a child. With his youki sealed, such a wound would most certainly be fatal this time.

But Sesshomaru did no such thing. There was only one thing in this world that Sesshomaru truly wanted, and that was to fight the strongest opponents he could. Inuyasha, sealed in this manner, certainly did not count. He was helpless. Worse than helpless. Even humans, as pitiful as they were, could put up more resistance. Just the thought of killing Inuyasha like this rubbed him the wrong way.

So the Youkai Lord released Inuyasha's throat and took a step back. Leaving him in this state was a fate far crueler than death anyway.

"Pray, hanyou, that you never awake from that slumber." Sesshomaru told his half-brother. "For if you do, this Sesshomaru will dispatch you himself."

And then the Youkai Lord left the land of Musashi, and would not be seen in those lands again for over fifty years.

* * *

**LES: Geez, I wish Sesshomaru was a little easier to write. Why must you be so difficult?!**

**Sesshomaru: This Sesshomaru has no care for your problems.**

**LES: I tried to make it as canon as possible. Sesshomaru claims to hate his brother, but when it comes right down to it, he won't kill him... even when given golden opportunities. That's how Sesshomaru loves Inuyasha. He doesn't even realize it.  
**


	6. I Loved Him as a Protector

**LES: This is the part where the order gets a little confusing. For the most part, so far, things have been in chronological order. But if I stuck with chronological order, you would have a few more 'twisted love' chapters before a nice chapter. Therefore, I'm giving you guys a break and there's going to be some nice love coming up. Specifically, moving into the Inu-gang. Not Kagome yet, sorry. She's very special and being saved towards the end. I'll be doing the Inu-gang in the order that they joined the group, but the stories are not necessarily in chronological order. They will all take place within the time span of the manga and further info about when each one is set will be discussed in the chapter. First up… Shippou!**

* * *

**Chapter VI: I Loved Him as a Protector**

The times when Kagome went back home to her era were tough times for everyone. It was not only because everyone missed Kagome while she was away, even though they did, but it was because Kagome often left as a direct result of something Inuyasha did or said, and this often left the hanyou in a bad mood… and he had a bad habit of taking it out on the others.

So, during these times, Inuyasha had come to learn that it was often best for him to just stay out in the forest and give everyone [read: him] a chance to calm down.

Inuyasha had set himself down in the shade of Goshinboku, his hands folded up in his haori and his face set in a petulant scowl.

In truth, he didn't even see how this time was his fault. Kagome had just gone back to her own time on her own. But the others, mostly Shippou, had seemed to assume that Inuyasha was the one responsible for Kagome's departure back to her world.

It wasn't any sort of treatment that he wasn't used to. He was almost always blamed for Kagome going back to her world, even when there was a legitimate reason for her to go. It was just that this time he was smarting particularly bad from the separation.

It had only been a while ago that Naraku and his minions almost took possession of Kagome and her eyes while he was off searching for rumors about Kikyou. He had hoped that she had somehow survived her fall into Naraku's miasma and had chased after a rumor because of it. The rumor turned out to be false and he almost lost Kagome because of it.

Because of that, he swore that he would never abandon Kagome again. And now she was back in her world, away from him. Granted, her world was much safer than his own, but the point still stood.

So he sat under Goshinboku, completely alone, and dealing with the near constant feeling of déjà vu. Of course, that wasn't so surprising… he had spent fifty years pinned to this tree, alone, and in the dark. Thank the Kami he couldn't remember a minute of it.

At the edge of the clearing created by the Goshinboku, Shippou watched he hanyou in his brooding. Shippou wasn't exactly sure if Inuyasha knew he was there. On the one hand, Shippou knew that he was within Inuyasha's sensing range. On the other, he could be too deeply in thought to realize that he was there.

Keeping low to the ground, Shippou slowly moved closer to the hanyou. When he was within a few dozen feet, Shippou knew that Inuyasha could sense him, because the hanyou started growling deep in his throat. Shippou paused in his approach and then began to creep even slower.

When Shippou was just outside the reach of Inuyasha's arm he completely stopped and rolled over onto his back, displaying his belly and throat to the hanyou. A human would not understand, but all canine-youkai would understand submission when they saw it. Inuyasha stopped growling, pacified by Shippou's acknowledgement of his higher rank within the pack, and allowed the kitsune kit to approach him.

Shippou sat on the ground at the hanyou's side, both of them seemingly content with silence for the moment. In fact, it was about the longest that Inuyasha had ever heard Shippou go without speaking, especially when Kagome was gone to her world.

And just when Inuyasha was starting to think it was some sort of miracle that Shippou was able to remain quiet for so long, Shippou ruined his record by speaking. "How long will Kagome be gone this time?"

The hanyou shrugged. "I dunno, runt. She didn't say. A few days, maybe?" She did usually want four or five days when she went back to her own time, for visiting family and school and other such matters. And he wasn't sure if he should go after her since she left in such an unusual manner. At least he knew how to deal with her screaming at him. Just plain leaving… that was something he couldn't deal with.

"Why does Kagome go back all the time?" Shippou asked.

Inuyasha didn't answer right away. He knew all the reasons Kagome told him, but didn't understand half of them. He couldn't explain the concept of school and exams to the kitsune because he didn't understand it himself. But there was at least one concept that he could understand perfectly. "She misses her family when she's here with us."

"Oh." Shippou commented. Truthfully, he hadn't given much thought to Kagome's other life beyond the well. Unlike Inuyasha, he couldn't travel through the time portal. "What's Kagome's family like?"

Inuyasha stared at the kitsune, a little confused. Only rarely had the others ever asked him about Kagome's world because it was nearly impossible for him to explain how strange her era was. Most of the time, their questions were saved for Kagome herself, who found it nearly as difficult to explain as Inuyasha might. But family… that sort of thing is universal. Relationships could be understood on either side of the well.

"Well… there are three others, besides Kagome. There's Kagome's grandfather. He's a shrine priest and he really likes trying to stick me with ofuda every chance he has." Inuyasha said.

"Really? Doesn't that hurt you?" Shippou asked, shocked. He'd accidentally gotten on the business end of Miroku's ofuda a few times.

"Not at all. The old man ain't got no spiritual powers. His ofuda don't work. But I guess he doesn't do that so much anymore… I guess because I've helped around the shrine… heavy lifting, and stuff like that." Inuyasha said thoughtfully. "Then there's Kagome's mother. She's…" Inuyasha trailed off. How could he possibly begin to explain Kagome's mother? "She's as kind as Kagome. After all, she doesn't seem to think twice about having a hanyou like me as a house guest. And then there's Kagome's little brother, Souta. He's a brat, and annoying, and looks up to me for some reason." Shippou snickered, drawing Inuyasha's thoughts out of his musings and back to the kitsune child. "And what do you find so funny, runt?"

"Nothing!" Shippou answered quickly. He didn't know if he was ready to let Inuyasha know his thoughts.

"Feh." Inuyasha snorted, clearly telling the kitsune that the conversation was over. But Shippou had different ideas.

"Kagome doesn't have a father?" Shippou asked.

Inuyasha shook his head. "No. I don't know much about it. Kagome's mother happened to mention in passing that Kagome's father died in an accident years ago."

Knowing that made Shippou appreciate Kagome all the more. She, too, had lost her biological father. Thinking about his father, Shippou climbed his way into Inuyasha's lap. The hanyou stiffened as the kit climbed onto him, but then relaxed with an annoyed sigh.

"All right, runt, just this once." Inuyasha growled softly, draping the sleeves of his haori over the kitsune kit.

"Inuyasha?" Shippou asked.

"Hn?"

"Do you remember your father?" Shippou finished.

"I remember his scent." Inuyasha answered after a few moments. "And I remember the stories that my mother told me about him. But, no, I don't remember him."

"Sorry."

Inuyasha snorted. "Feh. I remember my mother. That's enough for me." He trailed off thoughtfully. "She was…" The hanyou trailed off, working hard to get the words past the emotion blocking his throat. But he couldn't. He didn't need to. Shippou could understand. Losing a beloved parent was something that you never recovered from.

Shippou pressed his small body into Inuyasha's chest, giving the hanyou his best comfort purr. Inuyasha instinctively held the child closer to his chest and, when he did, Shippou barked out a single word in the canine youkai language that almost had Inuyasha jumping out of his skin. "Papa."

Inuyasha froze, unsure of what to make of the kitsune's out-burst. There was no way that Shippou could confuse Inuyasha with his father. While Inuyoukai and kitsune were both canine, their scents were not the same. Inuyasha _knew_ that Shippou had called him 'Papa'. But that was impossible. He was not the kit's father or adopted father any way you looked at it. Shippou seemed to realize his slip of tongue and he froze in the hanyou's embrace.

"What was that, Shippou?" Inuyasha asked.

Shippou didn't reply. He knew very well that Inuyasha heard him, given his powerful canine ears. Shippou didn't know how to explain himself, plain and simple.

"Shippou…" Inuyasha sighed. "There's no reason for you to call me something like that."

"But… I do." Shippou said softly. "Because of Kagome…"

Inuyasha sighed, knowing full well that Kagome had more or less adopted the kitsune kit. No one had said anything, but everyone knew that Kagome saw Shippou as a son, and he saw her as a mother. But that still didn't explain anything.

"Kagome becoming your adopted mother has nothing to do with this." Inuyasha said. "You know as well as I do that females are the ones that decide which male will father their children. Kagome…" _She wouldn't pick me, a lowly hanyou, in a million years._ Inuyasha thought to himself.

"But… but she has picked you, though. I know it." Shippou told the hanyou. "Kagome loves you, you know?"

"I know." Inuyasha said. When he had rescued her from Naraku's minions, he heard Kagome said that she loved him. "It's just not as simple as that."

"It is that simple, you'll see. I know that Kagome will choose you and I'll call you father some day." Shippou said. "So I'd better get used to it… I guess."

"Feh. You'd better hope that I don't become your adopted father, cause that won't make me go easy on you, runt."

"I know you won't, Inuyasha. I know." Shippou said, burying himself deeper into the hanyou's embrace.

* * *

**LES: Sorry for the delay. I just recently bought a new TV and I'm still pretty jazzed about it. *cries happy tears* It's so beautiful!**


	7. I Loved Him as a Brother, Part 1

**LES: Next up, everyone's favorite perverted monk Miroku! And, in honor of the lecherous monk himself, this chapter will deal with sex. No… not in a Yaoi way, just two guys discussing sex. Oh, and this chapter will make references to the events of Chapter 3.**

**Chapter VII: I Loved Him as a Brother, Part 1**

* * *

"Ohhh! Kami! Come on! Come on!"

Miroku was now starting to deeply regret his decision to stay in this inn.

It was not like there was anything wrong with the inn in particular. What was wrong was the amorous couple being loudly intimate in the next room. Really? Did they have no shame? Miroku thought to himself as he raised his knees slightly to conceal his painfully hard erection. As if it were not bad enough that he had gone the last few months without any sex, he had to listen to some young couple get lucky in the middle of the night?

The only good thing about the situation was that everyone else in the room was asleep and had no way of knowing what state he was in. He didn't even want to imagine Sango's reaction to this whole situation.

Even Inuyasha seemed to be deep in sleep, which struck Miroku as odd. Inuyasha almost never slept deeply. In fact, he'd never seen it himself, only heard about it from Kagome. Inuyasha, it seemed, was more comfortable having a deeper sleep in her time than his own time.

Miroku was just on the verge of jerking off really quick to relieve the ache that he felt below when he noticed that Inuyasha seemed to be _too_ deeply asleep. He wasn't asleep, just pretending to be to an outrageous degree. Miroku also noticed that at least one of his ears was turned in the direction of the amorous couple next door. Of course Inuyasha could hear them. If Miroku could hear them, then the Inuhanyou could certainly hear them.

"Can't sleep either, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked quietly.

The hanyou snorted. "Pretty hard to do that when all I can hear are two humans fucking like rabbits in the next room."

That was a pretty good shock to Miroku. The monk knew, of course, that Inuyasha had a foul mouth on him and could curse anyone into submission. 'Fuck' was one of the hanyou's favorite words, but Miroku had never heard Inuyasha use the word correctly, as a reference to sexual intercourse. Miroku had been pretty sure that Inuyasha was, well… ignorant when it came to sex.

"You… you're aware…? I mean… you know…?" Miroku stuttered.

Inuyasha opened his eyes and glared at the monk. "Yes, I know what sex is. Now drop it."

But now Miroku was intrigued. In this day and age, it was generally assumed that young boys learned about 'the facts of life' from their father. And Miroku doubted that it was any different fifty years ago. But Inuyasha had not known his father. How could he know about sex?

All of these thoughts, Miroku let out in a highly articulate "Huh?"

Inuyasha's ears turned in his direction and his eyes followed soon after. With a heavy sigh that wouldn't have sounded out-of-place from a man willingly allowing himself to be executed, he shifted closer to Miroku so that they could talk without disturbing the sleepers in the room. Not that they thought they would wake up. If they could sleep through the noises in the next room, then they could certainly sleep through a quiet conversation between the hanyou and the monk.

"I said I know what sex is." The hanyou repeated. "Any more questions?" He meant the last part sarcastically, and Miroku knew it, but he decided to take the hanyou up on his offer anyway.

"I understood what you said perfectly, Inuyasha." Miroku said. "I'm just having trouble understanding how you could know about sex. You told me you don't remember your father?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "He died when I was newly whelped."

"Ah… then perhaps it is your Youkai instincts."

"Why do you care how I know about sex?" Inuyasha spat.

"I am simply curious." Miroku answered. "I mean… I very much doubt that you'd have any first-hand experience…" Miroku trailed off at the look on the hanyou's face. Perhaps Inuyasha believed that he was keeping his expression neutral, but he had the same problem as when he was pretending to sleep. The imitation was too good. Miroku stared. "No…" He gasped.

"No, what?" Inuyasha snapped.

"No, you cannot… you did not… isn't that impossible?" Miroku asked.

Now Inuyasha was getting annoyed. "If you're going to ask questions, at least finish them so I know what the fuck you're talking about."

"You're not a virgin?" Miroku asked, as clear a question as he could manage.

This time, it took Inuyasha a while to answer. In fact, he kept fidgeting with the Tetsusaiga. "It was… a long time ago." He said finally.

"Kikyou?" Miroku asked.

Inuyasha snorted. "Kikyou wouldn't even let me hold her hand while she was alive, let alone let me lay with her. No… it was… before Kikyou."

To tell the truth, Miroku was a little shocked. In every story of Youkai lore that he knew, he'd never known stories about hanyous being able to find mates. There was not a Youkai who would consent to lay with one. And humans? Well… Kagome aside, he'd never known a human who would be willing to lay with a hanyou. "So it is possible for hanyou…?"

"Possible, but rare to the extreme." Inuyasha answered. "There are two ways it could happen… the first way is for the hanyou to solicit the services of a prostitute during their mortal time. But it's risky still. The last time I heard it happening, both the hanyou and the whore were killed after the deception was revealed."

"And the other way?" Miroku asked. He couldn't imagine Inuyasha paying off a whore. It just wasn't like him.

"The other way is to find another hanyou."

Miroku nodded in understanding. Yes, that would certainly be the way to go. Hanyou were not prejudice against other hanyou. He had seen firsthand how Inuyasha treated other hanyou differently than he did humans or Youkai. He would go to the ends of the earth to save another hanyou because he empathized with them. Certainly if a male and female hanyou ran into each other, they'd give sex a try because there would likely be no other chance.

"You met a female hanyou…" Miroku said.

"She was a Nekohanyou named Miyako." Inuyasha answered. "We only knew each other that one night. I mean… it was just a chance meeting. She was the only mature female hanyou I had ever met, and I was likely the only mature male she ever met. We came together for one reason only… sex."

"But then… you could have offspring out there?" Miroku gasped, shocked. Sure, they would be over fifty years old, but…

Inuyasha shook his head. "It's not possible. Inuhanyou and Nekohanyou cannot reproduce anymore than a dog and cat can reproduce. Because children were not possible, we were not true mates. We parted way immediately afterward. I only ever knew her name."

"So then… Kikyou?"

"I met Kikyou about a year after that." Inuyasha said. "My relationship with Kikyou was different. There was nothing physical between us, but…" He trailed off. "She cared about me. She spoke to me with kindness. No human had done that to me since my mother's death. I can't deny that I fell deeply in love with her."

Throughout Inuyasha's talk, Miroku couldn't help but notice that Inuyasha was speaking in the past tense in reference to Kikyou, especially about his feelings for the miko. But, come to think of it, Inuyasha had taken to referring to Kikyou in the past tense lately. "And now?"

"Now? It's complicated." Inuyasha caught the glare that Miroku sent his way. "It ain't like that. I do still care for Kikyou. She was my first love. But the past… and the future that we were going to share together… that's gone and it's not coming back. The Kikyou that was brought back… she's not the Kikyou I once knew." Miroku nodded in encouragement. He knew that Inuyasha knew these things, but the hanyou really needed to say it out loud. "But… that doesn't change the fact that I'm partially responsible for her death. I owe it to her to defeat Naraku at the very least. But after…?" He trailed off. "Well, we'll never be what we were."

"No one expects you to do any less for Kikyou." Miroku nodded. Naraku needed to pay for his crimes, of that there was certainly no doubt. Many wrongs would be avenged with the death of Naraku. Kikyou's death was just one of many wrongs. "Even Kagome understands that." Miroku threw out Kagome's name on purpose, to judge the hanyou's reaction.

It was just as he expected. Inuyasha's ears pulled back and his eyes dropped. "I know she understands." He admitted. "She's far more understanding than anyone has the right to be."

"Lady Kagome is truly a wonder." Miroku prodded.

"She is." Inuyasha admitted.

"You care about her." Time to stop beating around the bush.

"Course I care about her!" Inuyasha whispered harshly, still aware of the sleeping girls on the other side of the room.

"I meant how you once cared about Kikyou." Miroku clarified.

"I don't care about her like I cared about Kikyou." Inuyasha said. "No… It's stronger than that. Much stronger. Kikyou cared about me, but Kagome… her feelings are unreal. I never thought I would meet anyone who could love me as a hanyou since my mother. Kagome is just so…" Inuyasha didn't even have the words to describe what Kagome meant to him. She was everything to him.

"Perhaps you should tell these things to Kagome." Miroku said.

"What things?"

"About Miyako, Kikyou, and about herself. Everything."

"No. I can't say anything. And you can't say anything about this to her either, monk!" Inuyasha hissed.

Miroku raised his hand. "I promise I will say nothing to Lady Kagome. But you should, Inuyasha. Kagome just wants you to be honest with her, you know."

"I… I can't. Not yet. I'm not ready." Inuyasha said.

Miroku sighed. Well, then there was nothing to do to help him. They both fell silent for a few moments before Inuyasha spoke suddenly.

"They're quiet next door."

Miroku listened in with a shock. It was true. The noises next door had stopped. They had talked and managed to distract themselves through the whole thing. Thank the Kami.

"Well, it looks like we will be able to sleep tonight after all. Good night, Inuyasha."

"Night." The hanyou answered simply. Miroku fell asleep quickly, but Inuyasha remained awake for a while longer, contemplating the things that Miroku had spoken to him about.


	8. I Loved Him as a Brother, Part 2

**LES: Now it's Sango's turn, of course! This one had a difficult start. I didn't want to have them discussing Inuyasha's love life like Miroku's chapter. This story would get pretty dull if it was just every character weighing in on Inuyasha and Kagome's love life. So I went back to the manga and the Profiles book and got my idea. The fact of the matter is that Sango is strong. Very strong. Inuyasha's strength is listed in the book as about 4.5 out of 5. (Youkai Inuyasha and Sesshomaru are both rated as 5's in physical strength, just to give you an idea of how strong that is) Sango's strength is equal to Miroku's: 3 out of 5. So she is fully capable of going toe-to-toe with Inuyasha, especially in a sparring situation.**

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**Chapter IIX: I Loved Him as a Brother, Part 2**

Inuyasha was having a pretty fine day. This was one of the few times when Kagome went back to her own time for a legitimate reason that everyone could understand, so no one was pissed off at him for 'making Kagome go back to her own time'. She had gone back to her time earlier this afternoon and was due to be back the very next day. All in all, everything was going smoothly for the hanyou.

That is, until Sango came asking him for a spar.

Normally he relished in such activity. He'd never admit it out loud to anyone but Sango was strong. Very strong. Not just because of her abilities as a Taijiya, but she was physically strong. One wouldn't be able to heft a weapon like Hiraikotsu without above-average physical strength. Sparring with Sango was the perfect way to keep up his abilities with a sword. In fact, he wouldn't be half as good with the Tetsusaiga without Sango teaching him how to handle a weapon properly. But, today, he just wanted a rare day to be lazy.

It seemed to him that he'd barely gotten a moment's rest since he got released from Kikyou's spell and with Naraku hiding like a coward, now was the perfect time to get some rest and relaxation.

"Come on, Inuyasha, and spar with me." Sango called up into his tree. "I'm not going to let you get out of shape just because Naraku is hiding from us."

"Feh." Inuyasha snorted. Like he could possibly get out of shape. If he could keep his fighting form when his diet consisted of a large portion of instant ramen, then one day of laziness was not going to turn him into a lazy fat-ass. Being a hanyou definitely had its advantages.

Sango sighed, wishing not for the first time that she had the ability to 'Osuwari' him. She had tried to Osuwari him before, but it hadn't worked. The necklace was bound to Kagome and Kagome alone. However, even if the rosary would not work for her, hearing the word was usually enough to cause Inuyasha to twitch in fear. So she took a breath and said "Osuwari" almost exactly like Kagome would when she was angry at the hanyou.

As Sango expected, the word caused Inuyasha to flinch, nearly knocking him out of the tree. He managed to cling to the branch just in time to stop him from falling and hitting the ground like a real subduing.

"Don't do that!" Inuyasha snarled as he dropped down out of the tree. "You all know how much I hate 'that word'!"

"You know, Inuyasha, if you would just learn your manners Kagome would probably remove the rosary from you." Sango commented. "I happen to know that she hates subduing you as much as you hate being subdued."

But Inuyasha did not respond to that. Instead, he brought his hand up to the beads and clutched onto them desperately, like he would shred anyone who dared try to remove them. The truth was, as much as Inuyasha hated the beads, he hated the thought to losing them more. They were his connection to Kagome and, for all he knew, it could be that connection that allowed him to travel through the well to her time. And there was the matter of his transformations as well. As much as he hated to admit it, he felt glad that Kagome and the others had a last line of defense against him in his transformed state. That very thought kept the nightmares about tearing his friends to shreds with his own claws while in the transformed state at bay.

Sango, noting the pensive expression on the hanyou's face decided that a change in subject was called for. "So, what do you say, Inuyasha? Will you go a few rounds with me?" She asked, drawing her katana.

Now that he was down on the ground, the idea of a short sparring match was actually starting to sound like a good idea. Smirking, he drew the Tetsusaiga, making sure to keep the blade in its untransformed state. So far, when he sparred with Sango, they did so as equals. The Tetsusaiga would remain untransformed and Inuyasha would use none of his youki-based attacks, and Sango would not use any of her Taijiya tricks like the stink pellets.

"Tell you what, Inuyasha, why don't you use Tetsusaiga's true form?" Sango asked, smirking.

Inuyasha stared at her. "Are you mad, woman? Do you want to get hacked to pieces?"

"Believe me, Inuyasha. I know what I'm doing." Sango said.

Inuyasha met her eyes for a few moments before he allowed his Youki to flow into the blade, triggering its true transformation from an ordinary katana into his father's fang. In its true form, Tetsusaiga was a massive blade that no human could hope to wield effectively because of its weight. It took a Youkai's strength to lift the weapon, let alone use it.

Inuyasha had more than enough strength to wield the weapon and could even do so with one hand. He hefted the weapon overhead and rushed at Sango with the sort of speed that should not be possible with a weapon that big. But Sango did not seem at all concerned as he brought the blade swinging down.

Inuyasha fully intended not to hurt her, so when Sango made no move to avoid the weapon, he halted his attack, the sharp edge of the blade only inches from her forehead. "You weren't going to move."

"You weren't going to hit me." Sango retaliated. "Come on, Inuyasha, I know that you have more faith in my skills than that. You won't be able to hit me anyway."

The goad at the right effect on the hanyou. He lifted the weapon again. "I'm not going to stop this time."

"Good." Sango said as Inuyasha swung his massive blade.

But, true to her word, Sango did know what she was doing. Since she fought with a large weapon herself on a regular basis, she knew the sort of strengths and weaknesses came from a large weapon like that. As Inuyasha swung, she dodged the blade and slipped past his guard in his blind spot. Within seconds, the tip of her katana was pressed just under his arm, in the perfect position to stab him in the heart if she desired his death. They both froze.

Inuyasha was completely shocked. He'd never had a human slip past his guard like that, and even Youkai had a tougher time then that. Sango really was something else.

Sango did not remove the blade from Inuyasha's side. "What did you do wrong, Inuyasha?" She asked.

Inuyasha thought back to the swing, remembering every moment. He could mentally visualize the swing and then it came to him. He had swung too wide. Tetsusaiga was a large weapon that made it difficult to re-engage if the first swing missed. Sango had taken the opportunity to slip past his guard and beat him. "I swung too wide. So when I missed, I left myself wide open."

"Exactly. Remember, that Tetsusaiga is a super-massive weapon. That makes it difficult to change directions mid-swing. It's like the Hiraikotsu. Once I let it go, it's either hit or miss and, if I miss, I'm wide open for an attack. Therefore, you have to swing to hit and minimize openings as much as possible." She raised her katana. "Now, try again."

Inuyasha grinned slightly as he went after Sango again, swinging the Tetsusaiga powerfully. Sango leapt out of the way, avoiding each of his swings with the easy grace of someone who had spent her whole life fighting against Youkai who were often physically stronger than her. She was not foolish enough to try to block the Tetsusaiga with her katana. Hiraikotsu might have been up to blocking the mighty blade, but her katana would undoubtedly break under the strain.

But she did not just dodge. She carefully watched all of Inuyasha's swings, her eyes quick to point out any openings in his form. Every time she saw an opening, she would leap forward and stab Inuyasha to make him aware of the hole in his defense. Of course, her katana could not stab through his fire-rat clothing, but the stabs did feel like a poke through his robes, so he was aware of every touch.

They engaged and re-engaged again and again, and Sango noticed that his form grew much better as time wore on. Soon, he'd learned to stop creating opportunities for his opponents to hurt him. He was much _much_ better than he was when she first met him: swinging his blade wildly and missing more often than he hit.

When he'd gone several minutes without presenting a single opening, Sango jumped back out of the way of his swings. "That's enough for now."

Inuyasha stopped his swing almost instantly and sheathed the massive blade. "Heh." He grinned cockily. "How was that?"

"Much better." Sango answered truthfully, even knowing that such an answer would do little more than stroke his ever-growing ego. But, as annoying as a cocky Inuyasha could be, she was sort of glad that he felt that way. When she first met him, he was still living under the stigma of the belief that he was nothing more than a worthless hanyou. He postulated and acted all high and mighty, but anyone could see the self-loathing in his eyes if they cared to look. But having friends who really cared about him, and caring about people in return, had really changed him.

He was yet to come out and say that he was okay with being a hanyou now, but everyone had noticed that he no longer spoke about getting the Shikon jewel to wish to become a full Inuyoukai. Now he was just collecting the jewel to get it away from Naraku.

Perhaps he was okay with his human half, even as emotionally underdeveloped as it was.

"Don't let it go to your head, Inuyasha." Sango cautioned. But judging from his expression, he had pretty much ignored her warning, and that brought an amused smile on her lips. "There is one more thing you can work on to become as strong as you possibly can be."

"What is it?" Inuyasha asked.

Sango walked up to him and poked him on the chest, just above his heart.

Inuyasha stared at her, confused. "My upper body strength?" He asked.

Sango laughed. "No. It's your heart that you need to work on." Inuyasha was still staring at her, confused. "Your Youkai side is very strong. But you've completely ignored your human half for developing your Youkai half. You need to work on making your human side as strong as your Youkai side."

"But… I can't. Not only is it physically impossible for my human half to become as strong as my Youkai half, but I'd only be able to train in my human form one night a month."

Now Sango was laughing freely at the hanyou. "I wasn't talking about physically strength, Inuyasha." She turned and left, still laughing loudly, leaving a completely mystified Inuyasha behind under the Goshinboku.

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**LES: Sorry for the delay. Most of the delay with this chapter was that I couldn't decide what to do next. I wanted to do a twisted love chapter, but I couldn't come up with the right idea. And then I came up with ideas for two new family love chapters, so… lucky you. I'll do those first. The next two chapters… will be… Kagome's mother and brother!**


	9. I Loved Him as a Son, Part 3

**LES: If there's one thing that I've personally never seen in an Inuyasha fanfic, it's the handling of Inuyasha's mortal night + Kagome's family being handled the right way. Every time I've ever read a story about Kagome's family being exposed to mortal Inuyasha it's like "No big deal." I don't think Kagome would have told her family, like a trust thing. And, now, for Kagome's mother! And, one last thing… here's a fact! Did you know that dogs have sixty percent less taste buds than humans? … Yes, this information is relevant.**

**Chapter IX: I Loved Him as a Son, Part 3**

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The simple fact of the matter was that the lunar calendar fluctuated between the modern era and the Feudal era. But it was not as far off as one would imagine. Most of the time, the new lunar month in the modern era happened a few days before the new lunar month in the feudal era.

But it wasn't something that anyone really noticed. Inuyasha had never had the chance to be on Kagome's side of the well when the status of the new moon was different from his era.

So that is why Inuyasha had no reservations about coming after Kagome in her era a few days before his mortal night, which unknown to him, had bumped up his mortal night to this night. The change did not happen as soon as he got out of the well, because it was before sunset, but that was not long off.

He leapt out of the well, knowing full well that Kagome should be back from her school this late in the evening. And she'd have some time with her family too, so there was literally nothing that she could complain about. In a few bounds, he made his way to Kagome's window, slid open the glass, and poked his head in. "Kagome?" But the word died in his throat when he realized that Kagome was not in her room. In fact, judging by how much her scent had faded; she had not been in the room since this morning.

Confused, Inuyasha slipped into the room, gazing around.

But before more than a few seconds could pass, the door opened and Kagome's mother walked in, her eyes immediately falling on the hanyou. "Oh. Arigato, Inuyasha. Are you here to pick up Kagome?"

"Course I am." Inuyasha answered, standing up and sniffing. "She's not home yet? Shouldn't she be back from the school thing by now?"

"Yes, school is over, but Kagome is with her friends right now. She's so far behind in her studies; she needs her friend's notes in order to keep up. She's getting those notes now, and she should be back by dinner."

"Oh. Good. And then we'll leave." Inuyasha said.

"But, Inuyasha, wouldn't you mind staying for dinner? It would only be an extra hour or so, and surely you couldn't begin your travels in the Feudal era at night. You'd have to wait for morning anyway."

Inuyasha shrugged. Kagome's mother did have a point, although he refused to admit it. "Fine. We'll stay. But only for the night. We'll leave in the morning."

Mrs. Higarashi smiled. "That's very kind of you, Inuyasha."

"Feh." The hanyou snorted.

"Would you like to come down to the dining room and wait?" Mrs. Higarashi asked. Without a word, Inuyasha got up and followed her down to the dining room and he took his usual seat from the few times when he did have a meal with Kagome's family. Mrs. Higarashi, meanwhile, stepped back into the kitchen to continue making dinner, with a cup of ramen noodles added in for Inuyasha now that he was there.

Inuyasha waited with semi-patience, sniffing at the air in an attempt to guess at what Kagome's mother was making. But, to his shock, he could barely make out the scents of the food. But, then again, most of what he could pick up was the Kami-awful smell of modern 'cleaning' supplies. Kagome's mother must've used them just that afternoon. Maybe it wasn't such a shock that he couldn't smell over it.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Mrs. Higarashi's cooking… as long as it didn't include any of that 'curry' shit.

Mrs. Higarashi had just set down the food, with the brief explanation that Kagome's brother and grandfather were also out of the shrine, when Inuyasha felt the tell-tale pulse of his Youki. He froze, with his chopsticks half-way to his mouth. He _knew_ that feeling! But this wasn't a feeling that he should be feeling for three more days, at least!

Mrs. Higarashi gazed at the hanyou with concern when he froze in place. "Inuyasha? Is everything all right? I made sure that nothing was spicy this time."

"What is the phase of the moon?" Inuyasha asked suddenly, shocking Kagome's mother.

"The moon?" Kagome's mother repeated. To be honest, the moon phase was not something that the average person kept track of in the modern era, at least since the solar calendar replaced the lunar one. "I believe it's the new moon, or pretty close to it."

Inuyasha had half-a-thought to duck and cover, to run towards the safety of the Bone Eater's well; since it was definitely not the new moon on his side of the well! Who knew that the moon phases changed between his time and Kagome's time anyway? But it was too late. His claws had all ready blunted down to normal human fingernails and his hair was turning dark inky black.

Kagome's mother watched in amazement as the hanyou changed before her very eyes. Within the span of a few seconds, he had transformed from the hanyou that she knew into a very human-like appearance. His hair turned black, his eyes were a dark steely grey, and even his dog ears were gone from the top of his head. She couldn't see with his forelocks, but she knew that she would find him with human ears if she cared to look.

For a few seconds, neither one of them spoke. Inuyasha waited, feeling incredibly nervous. Even though more people knew about his human time, it was still very difficult for him to reveal this time to anyone. It was one of the few things that his mother had been very strict with him about: that he never ever let anyone find out when his time of weakness was. Kagome's mother was not a threat to him, at least, so that put him slightly at ease.

"Inuyasha? What happened? Is something wrong?" Mrs. Higarashi gasped, worried that there was something terribly wrong with the hanyou that her daughter chose to befriend.

"Uh, no… nothing wrong." Inuyasha mumbled. "This happens every once in a while."

"What happened?" Kagome's mother asked. "You look…"

"Human? For tonight, I am human. Totally human." Inuyasha sighed. "You see… hanyou are different from full Youkai. A half-human body cannot stand up to constantly containing the power of our youki. So, once a month, a hanyou must lose their youki and become completely human so that their bodies can rest from the strain youki puts on it."

"I see. And your time is…" She glanced out the window, and found no moon in the sky. "The new moon?" Inuyasha nodded. "That is very interesting. Does it hurt? To transform, I mean."

Inuyasha was struck by a sudden sense of déjà vu. Kagome had asked him those very questions about his transformation soon after his first time transforming after meeting her. Of course, being the rude, asshole hanyou he was back then, he refused to answer. He'd been more truthful the last time she asked. And he figured that he trusted Kagome's mother about as much as he trusted Kagome. She'd certainly never given Inuyasha any reason to doubt her. "It doesn't really hurt all that much. It's more annoying than anything else… losing my senses and strength."

"I see. Do you want to stay here, or go back to your time where there is no new moon?" Mrs. Higarashi asked. The least she could do was offer him a way out if he wanted.

"Nah. I'll stay. Since I've all ready transformed, I might as well. Maybe I'll let Kagome stay for a few more days, until the new moon passes in my time. I don't really feel like turning human twice in one month." Inuyasha answered, taking a bite of his ramen, and savored it a bit more than usual.

As an Inuhanyou, he had once sense that was not quite as good as a human's, and that sense was taste. So, while his eye sight, hearing, and sense of smell all decreased, his sense of taste actually increased. That lowered sense had actually served him well as a young hanyou scavenging for food. Since he couldn't taste as well as a human, he'd been able to consume things whose taste alone would turn a human stomach. Of course, those days were long since passed, and now he enjoyed the increased flavor of good things as a human.

Mrs. Higarashi stared at Inuyasha while he ate, still partially unable to believe the transformation that he had undergone. Of course, it's not like she knew that much about hanyous anyway. Before Kagome's trip into the past, hanyous had been in the same category as Youkai: myths. In the past, Inuyasha might be looked down upon for his Youkai heritage, but to her it was just fascinating.

In no time at all, he had finished the ramen, proving that his transformation had no effect on his appetite. "Would you like to wait for Kagome in her room?" Mrs. Higarashi asked.

"Fine." Inuyasha answered, standing up. Mrs. Higarashi also stood and led Inuyasha back up the stairs towards Kagome's room even though he knew very well where it was. They were almost there when Mrs. Higarashi passed the restroom and she caught a brief glance of her reflection in the bathroom mirror out of the corner of her eye. However, when Inuyasha walked past and saw the same thing, he froze and stared at the mirror.

Mrs. Higarashi stopped, glancing back at him. She knew that, while Inuyasha did share many traits with dogs, he had not inherited a dog's inability to recognize themselves in a mirror. Inuyasha knew what a mirror was and knew what he was looking at when he saw his reflection, so why was he staring at his reflection like he'd never seen it before?

"Inuyasha? What do you see?" Kagome's mother asked.

"I see myself." Inuyasha paused. "And my mother." To tell the truth, his reflection had been a shock. He knew what he looked like normally. He was very familiar with his features as a hanyou. But he had not seen a reflection of his human form since he was a little pup. Besides the things that he could see himself, he had forgotten what his human form even looked like. And now that he was looking at him, he couldn't believe how much he now looked like his mother. He'd always had a bit of his mother in his face, but now in his human form, he looked just like her.

"Oh…" Kagome's mother said. "Then your mother was… the human?"

"She was." Inuyasha answered.

"She must've…" Mrs. Higarashi began. If Inuyasha still had canine ears, they would have been pulled back against his head. He'd heard it all before. His mother was a Youkai-lover. A whore. A traitor to her species. And, above all, she was a cursed woman who had birthed a filthy hanyou… one that she actually acknowledged as her son. "Loved your father very much."

For a minute, Inuyasha was pretty sure that his human ears had played a trick on him. There was no way that he heard what he just heard! Inuyasha knew that his mother had loved his father, but he'd never met a human who'd seen it that way. After all, no human could love a Youkai, so any hanyou had to be either the product of rape or the woman was a whore. There was no other option. "What?"

"I'm sure that your mother loved your father very much." Mrs. Higarashi repeated. "It must've been a strong love that she'd be willing to give him a child even knowing that they'd be looked down upon because of it."

Inuyasha stared at her, shocked. Kagome's mother was, without her knowing, paraphrasing the very things that his own mother once told him: that she loved his father and did not regret having his child because of her love for him… and, most importantly, that she loved her son with all her heart. What was it with the women in Kagome's family being so utterly amazing?

"They… did love each other." Inuyasha said. "My mother always made sure that I knew that. But I haven't met very many humans who see it that way."

"Then they are foolish." Kagome's mother said simply. "Why would a woman put her life at risk for anything other than pure love?" She smiled at the young man. "You shouldn't have to feel ashamed of what you are, Inuyasha. In many other cultures, a half-supernatural being such as yourself would be looked up to as a hero. Even in Japan. Have you ever heard the story of Kintaro?"

Inuyasha nodded. It was an old story, even in his time. Kintaro was the child of a human and a dragon, and he grew up to be the greatest warrior in Japanese legend: akin to Heracles and Beowulf. It was one of Inuyasha's favorite stories that his mother used to tell him.

Kintaro, technically a hanyou, had proven his strength and worth in the legend. Inuyasha had strived his whole life to do the same thing. And now a human woman was telling him that he was all ready strong and worthy.

He had only ever believed his mother when she said those things before. And, had it been any other woman, Inuyasha would have probably scoffed in disbelief. But Kagome's mother, like Kagome herself, was different. In Kagome's mother he could see the spirit of motherhood that was in all mothers, including his own. He could see a shadow of his own mother looking out of Mrs. Higarashi's eyes, telling him the things she said every day of her life: you are not worthless, you have the right to happiness, and I love you Inuyasha.

Unable to speak anymore due to the blockage of human emotion in his throat, Inuyasha hung his head and Mrs. Higarashi embraced the young man. He did not react to the embrace, but he didn't pull away either. So she just held him, knowing that everyone needs to be held once in a while.

They were pulled apart with the sound of the door opening down below and Kagome's call "I'm home, Mama!"

Mrs. Higarashi gave Inuyasha one last smile before she went down to greet her daughter who would soon be shocked speechless herself to discover that Inuyasha had not only revealed himself to her mother as a human, but he was actually willing to stay in her time for a few more days… at least until the new moon in his own time passed.

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**A Note on Names: I know that the common way to spell Heracles' name is Hercules. But that's the Roman spelling of his name. His original Greek name is Heracles, which means "The Glory of Hera". He was named this in an unsuccessful attempt to appease the Goddess Hera after discovering that her husband had sired **_**another**_** half-mortal child. In many ways, the demigods of Greek mythology are much better off than hanyous, but they always seem to meet tragic ends anyway.**


	10. I Loved Him as a Brother, Part 3

**LES: Souta's turn! This chapter has changed form since I began this story. At first, I was going to have Souta have a boyhood crush on Inuyasha. (It's not unusual for young children to crush and love members of the same sex, and it doesn't always reflect on their future sexuality. Look it up.) But I decided to change it back into canon. Souta loves Inuyasha as a brother, given the fact that Souta calls him "Inu-no-niichan" (Dog Brother) in the original Japanese. This chapter is written in honor of one fact in my young life: the first movie that I ever saw in a movie theater was Disney's "Beauty and the Beast". I was two years old at the time, so I don't remember it directly, but apparently it set the stage for my manners in movie theaters for the rest of my life. I never make a peep in movie theaters. I'm almost always too absorbed in the story. Anyway, that's just a little fact about me.**

**Chapter X: I Loved Him as a Brother, Part 3**

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There are a few experiences that are universal in the realm of childhood. It seems that no matter what sort of situation a child grows up in, there are a few things that remain nearly constant. And one of those things was the existence of a childhood hero.

And Souta felt that he had the best hero of them all.

Most young boys would look to their father, but Souta had no memory of his father. His father had died when he was too young to remember. But that didn't mean that he was completely lacking a male role model in his life.

Inuyasha, Souta's absolute hero, was the perfect hero in Souta's opinion. Inuyasha was strong, stronger than could be believed. He stood firmly against the tide of evil and he never gave in. The Inuhanyou was everything the boy could want to be.

The whole family knew of his blatant hero-worship. It had become clear the day when Souta began to even sound like Inuyasha, responded to uncomfortable questions with a "Keh!" instead of a real answer. Though his mother had managed to stop Souta from parroting Inuyasha's more 'colorful' language for now.

But Inuyasha was certainly not perfect, especially in the modern era. He knew his own time, and knew how to handle situations in his own time, but the modern era was like a foreign country to him. He was hopelessly lost in the modern era, and would continue to be hopelessly lost without some tutoring.

That's where Souta stepped in. He taught Inuyasha the basics of the modern world, so that he was not unduly surprised or shocked with technology. At least he didn't stare in confusion at every person using a cell phone or try to interact with the tiny people on television screens. (Yes, he had done it…)

Thanks to Souta, Inuyasha could knew his way around the kitchen at least well enough to make ramen, could watch simple movies without undue confusion, or get his ass handed to him in video games when playing against Souta.

It was a good thing too, because since Souta always got home from school before Kagome (as his was closer) it was his job to entertain the hanyou to make sure that he stayed on the shrine grounds and didn't go chasing after Kagome the instant the clock said that she should be out.

Souta came through the door. "Mom! I'm home!" He called.

"Welcome home, dear." His mother called to him. "Souta, could you go and rescue Buyo from Inuyasha? I'm afraid that he's working on that cat's last nerve again."

"Sure thing, Mom." Souta replied, heading into the house in the direction that Buyo's annoyed meows were coming from. Inuyasha, it seemed, liked to mess with cats as much as any dog, and Buyo was is favorite 'playmate' on this side of the well. His sister once told him that they traveled with a Nekoyoukai on the other side of the well, but Inuyasha did not seem interested in picking on her.

"Kirara can take care of herself." Kagome had said when Souta asked if Inuyasha bothered the Nekoyoukai too. "I think she would be more than capable of getting Inuyasha to stop if he started messing with her too much."

He found Inuyasha messing with the cat, and keeping Buyo captive every time he made a mad dash to escape. But Souta knew that Inuyasha was just bored. The best way to rescue Buyo was to give him something else to keep him occupied.

"Hey, Inu-no-niichan!" Souta called.

"Afternoon, kid." Inuyasha replied. He had long ago accepted Souta calling him Dog Brother, or at least, he'd never said a word against it. Kagome had told him that Inuyasha had an older half-brother who was a full Inuyoukai named Sesshomaru, but that Inuyasha did not get along with his brother very well. Of course, Kagome had not told her kid brother that Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's brotherly squabbles nearly always led to near-mortal injuries.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Souta asked.

Inuyasha pondered for a moment and then allowed Buyo to escape via a mad dash away from the Inuhanyou. "Sure, I guess. But none of that 'sci fi' sh…"

"Inuyasha…" Mrs. Higarashi called warningly from the kitchen, a warning to watch his language around Souta.

Inuyasha stopped the curse mid-word. "Stuff." He finished.

Souta laughed. He knew better now than to try to show Inuyasha science fiction. The concepts in science fiction were far too complex for the medieval hanyou to understand. Souta had shown him ten minutes of "Star Wars" before he got tired of Inuyasha's constant questions before he turned it off and put on a much simpler movie.

"I think I know one that's simple enough." Souta said. "It's based on a foreign fairy tale, but the story is simple enough." Thankfully, even through the story was foreign, the fact that it was a fairy tale made it okay. Fairy tales are universal things that every culture can understand. They had many fairy tales in Japan, and many of them were available even in Inuyasha's time. Fairy tales never contained anything more complicated than magic, which was something that Inuyasha could understand, having encountered many magic-users in his life.

"A foreign fairy tale?" Inuyasha questioned. "What's it called?"

Souta hesitated before answering. "_Beauty and the Beast_."

Mrs. Higarashi snorted from the kitchen, and Inuyasha caught the sound. He knew it too. It was the sound of her stifling her laughter. The Inuhanyou didn't like the feeling of someone laughing at him. His ears pressed down against his head, almost hidden by his wild hair. "Maybe another?"

"Oh, Inuyasha, don't mind me." Mrs. Higarashi called from the kitchen, moving to the living room. "I think you'll like the story."

"But you were laughing." Inuyasha pointed out.

"I was laughing because Souta made a good choice." Mrs. Higarashi said. "Watch the movie, and you'll find out why."

So, reluctantly, Inuyasha sat down as Souta got the movie and started it. It was animated, a cartoon, but Inuyasha didn't mind. Some of the other movies and shows that he'd shown Inuyasha were also animated. Sighing nervously, he settled down to watch.

As he watched, he began to realize why Mrs. Higarashi laughed when Souta named the movie. The story was not too complex for Inuyasha to follow. In fact, it reminded him a great deal of the Japanese fairy tale of "The Dog and his Wife". (He had to work really hard to stop himself from drawing too many parallels, though.)

Inuyasha could see a great deal of himself in the Beast character. He, too, was misunderstood, hated, and shunned from society for his appearance. Both of them bore human hearts, but the great majority of the people in their lives could not see past the beastly exterior and see the heart within. And both of them sought only the approval of one mortal, average girl.

The story was a romance. Inuyasha figured that out early on, what with the rival lovers in the Beast and that asshole Gaston character and the fact that only love could break the Beast's curse.

Inuyasha did not consider himself much of a romantic. He just didn't know how to do romance very well. But he found himself quietly cheering on the Beast's efforts to win over Belle. (Not that he was making even more parallels between himself and Kagome…)

He felt the Beast's pain when he sent Belle away to be with her sick father because his love was so great that he couldn't see her suffer, even if it meant that she had to go home. Inuyasha knew that pain well. Oh, the number of times he had thought of, and tried, to force Kagome to come home. But, the stubborn wench always came back.

Belle, of course, was much the same. Once it was clear that the Beast was in danger, she'd rushed back to him. He held his breath through the climatic fight scene, and even wore a small grin when the Beast and Belle were reunited.

Of course, the grin transformed into a growl of rage and disgust when that asshole _coward_ Gaston stabbed the Beast in the back while he was distracted. And _no_, he did not feel one drop of emotion during the Beast's death scene.

And then came the transformation scene. Belle had confessed her love for the Beast as he lay seemingly dead. Inuyasha knew right away that the curse had been broken and that he would transform back into a man, which he did.

As the finale of the movie ran its course, Inuyasha felt that he couldn't bear to watch any longer. Instead, he stared at his feet with his ears pinned back again. Souta noticed the look on the hanyou's face as the movie ended. "Inu-no-niichan? What's wrong?" The boy asked.

"Did he have to turn human?" Inuyasha asked. "Belle loved him as a beast, didn't she? Why couldn't she continue to love him as a beast?"

_Uh oh._ Souta realized that not only had Inuyasha caught onto the similarities between him and the Beast, he'd taken the ending a little bit too literally. Of course, it was a common question among those who watched the movie and was a bit of a joke on the internet. Did Inuyasha now think that he needed to become human for any girl to like him?

"He turned human because he was human." Souta finally said. "His true self was a human, not a beast. But I think that Belle would have continued to love him even if he did stay a Beast." Souta paused. "I don't think she would have felt any different if the beast was his true form. She would have loved him anyway."

At last, Inuyasha seemed to perk up. "Yeah… yeah, that's better. Someone should be loved for who they are."

Souta took a breath and then ventured. "I know that Nee-chan really loves you." He said. "And I don't think it matters to her if you are human or beast. But, if you ask me, I think she prefers you as a beast. I know that I think you're pretty cool as a beast."

"I am, aren't I?" Inuyasha asked rhetorically. "Hey… thanks for showing me that movie… Nii-chan."

Souta froze when Inuyasha called him brother. As long as Souta had been calling him Inu-no-niichan, Inuyasha had never replied with anything besides his name. That the Inuhanyou who was also his hero considered him a brother was nothing short of a dream come true. He beamed widely at Inuyasha. "No problem at all, Inu-no-niichan!"

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**LES: Dedicated to my everlasting love for the movie "Beauty and the Beast".**


	11. I Loved Him as a Plaything

**LES: This chapter is dedicated to the third person in the Inuyasha series who felt a romantic love for Inuyasha. Although, in this case… 'romance' might be pushing it. Demented sexual attraction would probably be more accurate. That's right! It's Jakotsu! When writing this chapter, I'll make an effort to tone down Jakotsu's demented feelings. But there's only so much you can do for a character whose idea for a romantic time involves cutting off his victim's ears as a trophy. There is some mention of Jakotsu wanting to rape Inuyasha, but it's just wishful thinking on his part. We all know that Jakotsu didn't get far with Inuyasha anyway.**

**Chapter XI: I Loved Him as a Plaything**

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It doesn't matter if you are a heterosexual girl or a homosexual male; the search for the perfect man is universal. There is a saying in modern times: you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince.

Jakotsu had kissed a lot of frogs. Well… not 'kissed', exactly. He'd fucked them… some of them were less willing than others.

Yes, Jakotsu had his way with many men during his life. They had all been beautiful specimens of male sexuality… until he had finished with them and left them in broken messes at his feet.

Humans… they broke too easily. Oh sure, many of them would fight and scream but, one by one… every single one of them had given up. Only then had Jakotsu killed them. It just wasn't fun anymore when they didn't fight back.

The obvious answer would be to find a humanoid Youkai to play with. Youkai were physically far stronger than humans and would easily handle the abuse. But there was a problem with that as well. Youkai were, as a whole, frigid sons-of-bitches. There was just no fun in it if your victim didn't fight you a little. A true Youkai, once captured, would care little for the torments of captivity. A trapped, tortured Youkai is simply a bored Youkai… and that meant a bored Jakotsu.

The natural solution was to capture and fuck a hanyou. Even alive, Jakotsu had realized this. Hanyou had the resiliency of a Youkai and the heart of a human. They could take the pain, but they would suffer while doing so. Perfect.

But hanyous were not exactly common, especially good-looking male ones. He'd seen females (gross), but the only males he'd seen were deformed by their mixed blood. Not handsome at all!

It was not until his death and subsequent resurrection that Jakotsu had finally come across the _perfect_ specimen.

Inuyasha.

Simply thinking his name was enough to send shivers of pleasure to his groin.

Inuyasha was clearly a male Inuhanyou. But it was Jakotsu's extreme luck to discover that Inuyasha was handsome beyond words… far beyond the likes of his human playthings during life. With fierce gold eyes that just begged to be broken, beautiful silver hair, and the cutest set of puppy ears topping his head… He was absolutely perfect.

From the moment that Jakotsu had seen Inuyasha, he knew that the Inuhanyou would be his ultimate conquest: a being that could take everything he dished out and _hate_ him every minute of it.

But, since his original meeting with Inuyasha, things had not been going well. Honestly, it was like Bankotsu was _trying_ to keep him away from his darling! Every time there was a chance to fight against Inuyasha, Jakotsu always seemed to find himself being sent away on some meaningless task or fighting against the lesser members of Inuyasha's little gang… including that _awful_ girl. Really? Had that one been necessary?!

The lust and frustration had all boiled to a head until his meeting with Inuyasha below Mount Hakurei. Inside the clean barrier, Inuyasha's Youki had been purified out of him leaving him in his mortal form. This was a disappointment to Jakotsu, but he was so wound up at this point that he didn't care anymore.

He'd stalked Inuyasha through the tunnels, systematically slicing him to the point where he would be weakened, but not killed. Corpses were even more boring than Youkai in terms of fighting back.

Inuyasha certainly had a lot of fight in him. Perfect. But he was running out of options. He was in his mortal form, bleeding, and weakened greatly. It would only be a matter of time before he couldn't walk anymore. And then Jakotsu would fall on his prey, slice off his clothes, and…

His fantasies were interrupted when Inuyasha suddenly turned on him, swinging his blade in an obvious desperate attempt to catch his tormentor off guard. Jakotsu almost had his head sliced off, but Inuyasha had missed his one and only chance and he could see the loss of hope in the now-mortal hanyou's eyes.

"Well, that was close." Jakotsu cooed to the hanyou, casually wiping away a few drops of blood from his neck. It was only a slight cut, nothing to worry about for a man revived by the Shikon jewel shards. "You can wave that blunt sword of yours around as much as you want, my dear Inuyasha; it'll just get me excited!" Jakotsu leapt forward before the weakened prey could react and slammed the hilt of his sword into the hanyou's unguarded stomach.

As Inuyasha collapsed, Jakotsu worried that perhaps he'd used a little too much force. After all, this hanyou was a hanyou no longer. He was a mortal now. He couldn't be _too_ rough with him. Jakotsu grabbed Inuyasha's hair and pulled him up. "Don't you dare pass out on me, now… I've yet to hear you scream for me."

But before Jakotsu could reach for the ties of his haori, the whole cave gave a shudder, causing Jakotsu to pause in his tracks. A few small-fry Youkai flew past, confusing Jakotsu. "Youkai? I thought they were locked too deep into the mountain to come here."

And then he felt the reason why the Youkai were there. The sickening pure barrier had seemed to suddenly disappear. And that meant…

He looked down just in time to see Inuyasha's hair turning silver again. "Back the _fuck_ away from me!" Inuyasha snarled at Jakotsu as he transformed back into an Inuhanyou.

Jakotsu did so, glad that he could have his precious Inuhanyou back. Playing with a human was just no fun.

Inuyasha glared at him, now completely indifferent to his wounds. They were enough to slow down a human, but they were mere scratches to the powerful hanyou. "You're an idiot, Jakotsu." He growled. "You shoulda killed me while you had the chance!"

Jakotsu gasped like that was the worst idea he'd ever heard. "But I couldn't! Unless I take it slow, I just can't get my satisfaction. Besides…" He shrugged. "I've all ready been dead once. I got revived and got to with your adorable self. I've got no complaints."

"You know…" Inuyasha commented. "I could listen to you all fucking day, but you still wouldn't make any damn sense."

Jakotsu snorted with laughter. Oh, he'd always loved the naive ones. "Then let me clear it up for you. I'll be taking those dog ears of yours as a souvenir… along with your head!" He slashed his sword, controlling it with the precise wrist movements in his best attack. Within a second, Inuyasha was completely covered in blades from all sides. "Once I pull on my blade, you'll be cut into little pieces. Goodbye, cutie! Of all the men I've killed, I like you the best!"

"You idiot! Can't you tell that I'm different now?" Inuyasha demanded, pulling out of the swords heedless of the way they cut into his flesh. He slashed his own sword, calling out "Kaze no kizu!"

Jakotsu didn't have time to react. The blunt of the Kaze no kizu hit him full-force, effectively dismembering his fake body. But he was still alive due to the jewel shards that continued to tie his life to his body. When the dust cleared, it was clear that Inuyasha had run off and left him.

"That cur…" Jakotsu whispered to himself. "He didn't even stay to finish me off." He settled back, staring up at the ceiling of the dank cave. He sighed. _Oh well… I've had my fun._

_And I got to meet Inuyasha. And, maybe, just this once… that is enough._

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**LES: I hope that this wasn't TOO disturbing. I mean, it had to be a little disturbing or it wouldn't be Jakotsu, but still. To be honest, I want to get this chapter out of the way. I never had a good idea what to do with Jakotsu, and I still don't think this chapter is up to snuff. But Kagome's chapter is next! Yay!**


	12. I Loved Him as a Soul Mate

**LES: The chapter that we've all been waiting for! The Kagome chapter! It goes without saying that this chapter contains mature content. This chapter is the longest one yet! It is easily five times longer than the other chapters! Enjoy!**

**Chapter XII: I Loved Him as a Soul Mate**

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It had been three years. Three fucking years since the last time that Inuyasha had seen Kagome. So why was it, exactly, that his asshole 'friends' wouldn't let him have a single moment of alone time with her? Ever since the well, when their friends had interrupted their reunion, they had been completely hogging Kagome's time.

Of course, Kagome had felt that she needed to catch up with everyone, especially with Miroku, Sango, and the three young children that she'd never met before. She'd squealed with delight over the twin girls and Sango's new infant son.

Yes, Inuyasha understood that Kagome had missed _everyone_ while they were separated, but he _really_ needed to talk to her alone. There was no way that he would be able to speak his mind with an audience.

It was not until that evening after the children had been put down to sleep for the night that Inuyasha finally found his chance. She had been on her way to stay the night with Kaede when her path was suddenly blocked by Inuyasha's familiar form.

"Inuyasha?" She gasped, a little surprised when he materialized out of the darkness.

"Come with me." He ordered softly.

It did not take long for a soft smile to form on Kagome's lips. "Okay." She replied, following the Inuhanyou as he led her past the edge of the village.

As they walked, Inuyasha remembered the last time he had seen her before the well had separated him from her for three painful years. She had been reunited with her family after spending three days trapped inside the hell that was the Shikon jewel. There had been tears all around and Kagome clung to her family, so happy that she was back.

She had been so happy that Inuyasha couldn't bear the thought of asking her to come back into the past with him permanently. That had been his plan all along: destroy Naraku and make Kagome his. But now that the time had actually come, he couldn't find the words. Could he really selfishly ask her to give up her life, her _family_ in the future?

It was if the well had sensed his indecision because that was the exact moment when it began to pull him forcefully back to his own time. The last thing he had seen was Kagome crying out for him as he disappeared in time. He knew that she was distressed, but he'd always thought that she would be ultimately happier on the other side of the well.

But it turns out that he should have learned his lesson a long time ago. He couldn't trap Kagome in her own time. No matter how impossible it seemed for her to return, she'd always found a way back. And now, three years later, she had found a way back… and it was very likely that she would never be able to travel through the well again.

She was trapped now, in the past. And as much as Inuyasha wanted to believe that she'd come back for him… he still couldn't quite believe it.

As he thought this, he led her past the edge of the village. It turned out, after the defeat of Naraku three years ago; the villagers were not nearly as angry about the thought of an Inuhanyou living in their village. Indeed, Inuyasha had been offered a piece of land within the boundaries of the village to build a hut for himself. He'd been shocked and honored by the offer, but still refused. He just was not comfortable with the thought of being surrounded by humans all the time. So he willingly built his house beyond the edge of town, near the edge of the forest. That way, he was close to the village, but not too close to disturb his sense of personal space with the humans. That house is where he was leading Kagome now.

It was a modest structure, certainly not fit for a creature of noble birth like Inuyasha. But the Inuhanyou was not picky about his house. For the past three years, it had just been a place to sleep. Perhaps, if Kagome were to… Well, perhaps he could soon turn this house into an actual home.

Kagome noticed the new structure right away. "This wasn't here before." She commented.

"It wasn't. I built this house after Naraku's death and after the well…" Inuyasha trailed off. Kagome didn't need for him to finish that sentence to know what was on his mind. The last three years had been hard on both of them.

"I'm here now." She told him simply.

Inuyasha smiled at her and nodded his affirmation that, yes, she was here now before leading her into the semi-dark of the interior of the hut. "Hold on." Inuyasha said, peeling away from her and moving into the darkness. A few seconds later, light began to fill the hut as he built a fire in the central fire pit. Small flames at first, and then larger and larger as the flames began to catch on the wood. He didn't need the light, but Kagome did. Inuhanyou eyes were not the best for seeing things at night, but they were still better than a human's.

Once the fire was a good enough size to burn steadily, Inuyasha returned to Kagome's side and led her into the hut. It was just like any of the huts in the village, except perhaps less furnished. Kagome smiled at the familiarity. Bachelor pads were the same no matter what century you lived in.

Inuyasha sat down by the fire and Kagome joined him without prompting. Inuyasha noticed that she was sitting closer to him than was strictly polite, but he tried not to read too much into it. After all, in her own time, getting that close to a man who was not your husband was more acceptable than in his time. That wasn't to say that he didn't enjoy the closeness.

"You know, as much as I missed everyone…" Kagome began. "I'm glad to finally have some time alone with you."

Inuyasha stared at her. "Are you kidding? You've felt that way too? I've been trying to get you alone all afternoon!"

Kagome laughed softly. "Well, we are alone now." Without another word, Kagome leaned into him and wrapped her arms around him. Inuyasha froze up a little, but then returned her embrace firmly. "I missed you so much, Inuyasha. Every moment I was gone." She whispered into his chest.

"I… I missed you too, Kagome." Inuyasha whispered. It was the first time that he had admitted it out loud. Everyone knew that he desperately missed the futuristic miko, but he never actually said it. He pulled away from her slightly so he could meet her eyes. She did so without complaint. "Why did you come back? Don't you realize…" Inuyasha trailed off. "The well will probably never work again. Your family…"

"My family understands." Kagome replied. "They knew that I still had something very important to do in this world. And now that all my obligations of that world are complete, I could finally return to the most important thing." Her soft fingers ran down his cheek. Inuyasha closed his eyes, almost purring in contentment. "I didn't want to live the rest of my life without you, Inuyasha. I came back for you."

"Kagome…" Inuyasha breathed heavily, taking in her scent and the fact that she _was_ here with him now. "You mean that?"

"Of course I do." Kagome answered. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you before… but I love you, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha had known that Kagome loved him for months before her departure back to her own world. He'd even heard her say those words out loud once, but they had never been spoken to _him_. And, to be frank, he enjoyed this whispered and sincere declaration more than her shouting it for the world.

"You have no idea how you make me feel." Inuyasha replied softly. Without him needing to say another word, Kagome suddenly leaned into him and pressed her lips to his.

It only took Inuyasha a few shocked moments before he recovered himself and returned her kiss, applying pressure into the lip lock. Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her body so that their chests were now touching. Inuyasha groaned into the kiss, his clawed fingers resting on her hips to hold her close to him.

Kagome used his groan of pleasure as an opportunity to deepen the kiss. She pressed her tongue against his lips and he granted her access to the interior of his mouth without any hesitation. Now it was Kagome's turn to moan in pleasure as she explored his mouth and he explored hers in return. She ran her tongue carefully around his fangs, but she knew that he would never hurt her. And then their tongues met and tangled again with passion.

After what seemed an eternity, Inuyasha and Kagome pulled away from each other, content for the moment to look into each other's eyes. Kagome smiled when she saw the love in his eyes. He didn't have to tell her that he loved her. She could see it plain as day in his golden eyes.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha began, swallowing a nervous lump in his throat. "We gotta talk." He didn't want to have to talk. He wasn't good with words and, more often than not, utterly screwed up whatever he was trying to say. He'd gotten osuwari'ed enough for that reason in the past…

"I agree." Kagome replied, catching the nervous look on Inuyasha's face. "Don't worry, Inuyasha. Take your time with what you need to say. I won't subdue you for anything you say, I promise."

Inuyasha sighed with relief before taking a moment to gather his thoughts. When he was finally ready, he met Kagome's eyes. "First, I want you to know that your trust in me is not misplaced. No matter what else I say, I'm glad that you are here, _with me_, now. I want you in my life, Kagome… now and forever. I want you as my mate… my wife… however you want to call it. You and _only_ you."

"I want that too, Inuyasha. I want that so much. I'll gladly be your mate and wife." Kagome whispered excitedly.

Inuyasha sighed, remembering his conversation with Miroku so long ago, when the monk had urged him to be honest with Kagome regarding his past relationships… both of them. His first relationship with Miyako, which was entirely physical; and his relationship with Kikyou which was entirely emotional. His relationship with Kagome was so much better than those two previous relationships. He both emotionally and physically loved Kagome. But she had to be sure of that. "About Kikyou…" He trailed off, knowing that Kikyou had always been a sore spot between them. For her credit, Kagome didn't flinch or frown or anything. She simply watched Inuyasha, waiting for him to continue. "You all ready knew that Kikyou was an important part of my life. I can never say that Kikyou wasn't an important part of my past… but that's what she is… my past. She's been laid to rest now, and I think she's at peace now. She…" Inuyasha trailed off. "She was happy at the end, and I think that's the best gift I could have given her."

"I know that Kikyou has always been a tough subject with us. I've always known and understood that she was important to you."

"She was important to me. But you are more important to me now." Inuyasha replied. "My feelings are so much… bigger with you, Kagome. I know, without a doubt, that I… I love you. Right here and now."

"I love you too, Inuyasha. So much…" Kagome whispered, kissing him. Inuyasha gladly returned the kiss, still reeling from the fact that he _could_ kiss her. He'd never thought that anyone would truly care for him as a hanyou. Thank the Kami that Kagome had proven him so wrong.

"There's… uh… one more thing." Inuyasha began, growing really nervous for the first time. Kagome had been well aware of his relationship with Kikyou for a long time, but could she ever expect that he was not a virgin? If Miroku's reaction had been anything to judge by, the idea of him having had sex was nearly impossible to consider. How could he tell Kagome that she wouldn't be his first?!

At the time, he had not regretted one moment of the time that he spent with Miyako because he didn't see any way that he could regret it. At the time, it was all about having an experience with a woman, even if that woman was a complete stranger. Now he found that the only thing keeping him from thinking that if he could go back in time and undo that meeting was knowing that he had probably been the only experience for Miyako. She had been a hanyou, just like him, and living under the unbearable pain of belonging nowhere. He wouldn't want to take away her happiness.

"I'm… um…" He almost lost his courage, so he closed his eyes and whispered. "I'm not a virgin."

For her part, Kagome wasn't exactly sure how to react. Unlike Miroku, she didn't instantly assume that Inuyasha had lost his virginity with Kikyou. She had been there the first time that Kikyou had even kissed Inuyasha and told him that she had longed to do that while she was alive. If she hadn't even kissed Inuyasha in life, then she certainly wouldn't have had sex with him.

Inuyasha waited for the hammer to fall, but to his shock Kagome simply asked "Who was she?" But she didn't sound mad at all, only curious.

"You're not… mad at me?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome shook her head. "Why would I be mad at you for the past?" She asked. "In my time, it's not uncommon for two people having sex to not be each other's firsts. You told me yourself that you wanted me for your mate and wife. So why should I be mad that someone else got your first time when I can have every time after?"

Inuyasha was so deeply touched by her understanding that he had to kiss her fiercely, which he did. Kagome returned his kiss before pulling back. "So, who was she?"

"I was young then… barely into physical maturity. She was a Nekohanyou named Miyako who I just happened to meet in the woods. She was a little older than me and, well… she was a bit more aggressive than I was. She came onto me… not that I really resisted. We were both hanyou, hated and feared by Youkai and humans alike. I went along with it because I thought that I'd… never get another chance."

Kagome could understand why he'd done it. There were many people in her time that would have sex simply so they could experience it without waiting for someone you cared for. Of course Inuyasha, who had been an outcast simply because of what he was, would feel the same way when it came to having his first sexual experience. Not only could she forgive him, but she couldn't fault him at all given the circumstances.

"What happened to her?" She asked.

Inuyasha shrugged. "We parted ways and I never saw her again. This happened before I got sealed to the Goshinboku, so she's likely dead now…"

"Well… if she has passed on, then I'll bet that she was fulfilled." Kagome replied. "But, you know, Inuyasha… it's my turn now."

Inuyasha froze for a few seconds and then nodded. "Yes. Yes, it is." He got up and pulled out a futon, laying it down on the floor. Kagome stared in amazement. Futons were still pretty rare in this time. It must have cost Inuyasha a great deal, especially when he tended to sleep sitting up against a wall or in a tree.

"You have a futon?" She asked.

"Call it a desperate hope." Inuyasha responded. "And here you are now… my hope fulfilled."

Kagome moved over to him, pressed her body against his and kissed him. Her fingers lingered on either side of his jaw, gently holding him against her… not that he had any intention of backing away. He wrapped his arms around her waist, hauling her even closer.

A small laugh escaped Kagome lips as he pulled her body flush against his. She tilted her head, melding her lips with his as their kiss deepened and became more passionate.

Inuyasha gently guided Kagome until they were both seated down on the futon. He pulled away from her briefly and pulled off his haori and kosode, leaving himself bare-chested.

Kagome smiled as she reached down and pulled her own shirt over her head. She tossed it aside carelessly. The clothes would have to be stored away later, as they were the only piece of her home time that she had brought with her; the only reminder left of her original time. She mentally mourned for family who would not be born for centuries. But being with Inuyasha, and knowing that she would soon be his wife, greatly eased the pain of separation. Moments after, she unhooked her bra and tossed it aside after her shirt.

Inuyasha's eyes grew wide as he stared at her exposed breasts. He had seen her breasts before, when she was fifteen years old. A woman by his time's standards but a child by her own. Now she was absolutely a woman. Her breasts were larger than before, but still perfect in his eyes. He reached out like he was going to caress one, but then hesitated.

Kagome took his trembling hand in hers and pressed it to her left breast, encouraging him to palm and squeeze the fleshy mound. "Touch me, Inuyasha." She begged, arching her back into his touch. "My body, every inch of it, belongs to you and you can touch it however you want."

Humbled by her obvious arousal at his touch, Inuyasha did as she asked, bringing up his other hand to palm her opposite breast.

Kagome moaned, having dreamt of this moment for years and out of her mind with happiness that it was actually happening. She wanted him desperately. Her hands found his shoulders, but did not stay in that area. She eagerly explored his arms, neck, chest, and stomach with her fingers, loving the soft little whines of pleasure that she could induce in him.

Her hands drifted down to his hakama, tugging at the knot that held his pants up around his hips. But she could also feel his arousal through the fabric, so she took just a moment to palm his erection through his pants. The noise that Inuyasha made as she took his erection in hand was hard to describe: somewhere between a canine howl of pleasure and a human moan. But the translation was easy enough to understand: Inuyasha liked how she was touching him.

Wanting more, Kagome pushed his hakama down off his hips, exposing his erection since Inuyasha went commando a majority of the time. Taking care of his fire rat robes was easy since they mended themselves and grew with him. But taking care of his other clothes was too much hassle for the hanyou. He had enough trouble mending or finding new kosode, let alone having to deal with fundoshi.

He shifted, helping her fully remove his hakama, and then he froze. She had seen him naked before, a few times, but never before had he been aroused during those times. And her reaction to his body had not been positive. Once when he'd run into her room naked after her little brother had tried to boil him in a bath, she'd thrown her waste paper basket at him while screaming at him to get out. Not exactly encouraging.

He waited for her reaction, and it certainly was not like the previous times. Instead of freaking out, she smiled at him and wrapped her hand around his hard shaft, squeezing and pulling on him. Inuyasha grunted, thrusting his hips into her hand once before he regained control of himself. "Wait, Kagome…" He whispered, wrapping his clawed hand around hers to stop her movement. "Not right now. Not like this. I want to cum inside you the first time. You need it more than I do right now." He encouraged her to lay down on the futon, which she did. Once she was comfortable, he shifted down her body until he face was hovering right over the junction between her legs. He worked carefully to remove her shirt and panties, knowing how much they meant to her and refusing to destroy them even in his lust.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome panted, gazing down at him with her eyes glazed over with lust. Inuyasha met her eyes with a smirk playing on his lips. He had always thought she was beautiful, even when he professed differently. But her beauty was something different now: sexy and wanton. The ache in his groin intensified with his need, but he refused to acknowledge that.

That one night with Miyako, he'd known that the first few minutes were not pleasant for her, if her snarls had been anything to go by. But he'd honestly not cared. Besides, she was a hanyou and could take pain. Kagome was a different matter entirely. He loved her and she was human. He would sooner cause pain to himself before he caused her any unnecessary pain. Some pain was unavoidable, but if he was careful, he could minimize it.

So he lowered his face against her thighs, patiently waiting for her to open up to him. That wasn't to say that he didn't encourage her, if his tongue running up her silky thighs were any indication.

Kagome gasped as the wet appendage glided across her skin and her legs parted for him. Inuyasha smirked as he inhaled the scent of her arousal, nearly driving him to the point of insanity. He could see that she was all ready plenty wet, but he was on a mission to bring her all the pleasure he could before partaking himself since his turn was unlikely to be very pleasant for her. So he moved closer and ran his tongue along her folds in a lingering lick.

Kagome let out a near-silent scream at the pure sensation that he could create in her body. Her hand found the top of his head and pressed him harder into her womanhood, begging for more. He happily gave her what she wanted.

He ran his tongue over the full length of her folds, suckled on her clit, and occasionally delved his tongue into the depths of her channel. He longed to touch her with his fingers, but was too afraid. He did not want to get his claws involved and risk injuring her in such a delicate area. He could still see the scars on her arm from the last time he had hurt her with his claws, and he never wanted to do that again.

But if the noises that Kagome was making were any indication, she didn't mind that Inuyasha had restricted himself to just using his tongue.

Kagome's moans grew louder as she began to rock against him in time with his movements, thrusting her hips against his mouth. She was absolutely soaked now, and so close to orgasm that he didn't have the will to stop and deny her.

And then, in one breathless moment, Kagome was pushed over the edge into the most intense orgasm that she had ever experienced. She cried out, heedless of how loud she was as she rode the waves of pleasure to their peak and down again as her body settled.

As she gasped for breath in the aftermath of her orgasm, Inuyasha pulled away, gazing down at the beautiful goddess below him. He waited until her heartbeat had calmed down before he spoke.

"Can you get up now?" Inuyasha asked softly.

"Huh?" Kagome asked, honestly unable to understand his question.

Inuyasha smiled. "Can you get on your hands and knees now? I want you so much, Kagome."

Now Kagome understood. He wanted to make love doggie style. It wasn't that Kagome wasn't willing to let him take her from behind. Hell, she'd be willing to do anything that he was up to. It was just that she had wanted to look into his eyes as they made love the first time.

"Um… Inuyasha?" Kagome began.

His eyes furrowed with concern. "What is it, Kagome?"

"I do want to make love with you right now, but I want to see your face while we do it." Kagome said.

For a few minutes, Inuyasha just met her gaze, confused. When he'd fucked Miyako he'd taken her from behind. And all the animals that he'd seen mating in his life had always taken their partners from behind. He thought about it for a moment, but he honestly couldn't think of a way that he and Kagome could mate while allowing her to see his face. His ears pinned down against his head. "How?" He asked.

Instead of laughing at him, knowing that he was likely just ignorant about other sexual positions because his sexual knowledge was based on instinct. (Which made Kagome realize that, despite him not being a virgin, she probably knew more about sex than he did.) That meant that she couldn't wait to teach him about what fun sexual variation could be. But, for now…

He was all ready swatting down, facing her, so that was half the battle. She sat up and encouraged him to move closer to her, which he did without hesitation. She lay back down, pulling him down with her so that he was lying down on her body, between her thighs. In a flash, Inuyasha understood how this whole 'facing each other' thing was supposed to happen. And, now that he knew that you could mate like this, while looking into Kagome's eyes… well, he could get used to this.

"Is this the human way?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome nodded, too caught up in the feeling of his stiff arousal against her sex to reply properly. "I think this is a good way to mate." Inuyasha whispered to her, pulling her into another breath-taking kiss as he gently pushed himself forward into her body.

Kagome winched slightly at the intrusion, but the foreplay had done its job… it wasn't as painful as it could have been. Mostly, Inuyasha's intrusion just felt like a burning in her virgin channel. Kagome wrapped her arms around his back, holding him close to her and seeking relief in his presence.

Inuyasha grit his fangs as he sank within her. It was better… _so much better_ than the night with Miyako. Because Kagome was a human who loved and accepted him without reservations, not because she had to or was obligated, but simply because she loved him. And he loved her in return, with every breath, every beat of his heart, and with his entire soul.

One fuck in the woods with a complete stranger could never compare to something like the magnificence he shared with Kagome.

After what seemed an eternity he was fully sheathed within her. He stopped then, waiting for her signal that it was okay to move. He ignored his instincts screaming at him to thrust hard and fast into her. He'd never risk injuring her. Never. He would wait for her, even if he had to wait forever.

But he didn't have to wait forever. After about a minute, the burning had eased up and Kagome's body relaxed around him, easing up the pain even more. She buried her fingers in his silver hair and kissed him. Inuyasha kissed her in return, allowing his tongue to meet hers as he felt the signal that he'd been waiting for. She thrust her hips against his. Just a little movement, but enough for him to feel it.

He carefully began to move, grinding into her body more than actual thrusting, waiting to see if she was really in pain. To his relief, the sounds that came from her were not pained groans, but soft moans of pleasure and calling his name, begging for more.

He gave in at last.

He picked up the force and speed of his thrusts, increasing the sound of Kagome's cries of pleasure as he moved inside her.

Kagome gazed up at him with half-lidded eyes, watching the pure amazement and love on his face as he found his pleasure within her body. Making love with Inuyasha was everything she ever dreamed it would be, and so much more. They touched and caressed every part of each other's bodies that they could reach. Inuyasha even let her rub his ears. And instead of pulling away and asking her not to, he actually leaned his head into the touch, groaning with pleasure.

They left love bites all over each other, not caring for one moment who would see the next morning. All that mattered was the here and now, working together to bring each other this holy pleasure.

She was awed by the sight of him, covered in a fine sheen of sweat and panting as all his muscles moved with the singular purpose to create as much sensation as possible. To him, she looked just as glorious, covered in sweat herself and gasping a broken version of his name in time to his thrusts.

All too soon, he felt his orgasm approaching, but was also helpless to stop it. Mating with Kagome felt too good, too wonderful, for him to hold back and suspend his climax. "Kagome…? I'm gonna… gonna…" He tried to get the words out, but his mouth was working even less than usual.

"It's okay." Kagome replied brokenly, getting the message that he was trying to communicate anyway. She kissed him deeply. "Cum for me, Inuyasha."

That was the final straw. Inuyasha let go completely, thrusting wildly against her and howling loudly as he came within her. Perhaps the people in the village would just mistake the noise for a dog. His hips locked against hers as he spilled his seed within her. Thankfully, he was part-dog and not part-wolf so he and Kagome were not tied together. Even still, they couldn't even think about separating right now.

Inuyasha lay down on top of her, and she wrapped her arms around his body. They were both panting and covered in sweat which mixed together on their bodies. Kagome pressed her lips against his skin, kissing him tenderly and he couldn't help nuzzling her in return. Kagome couldn't help laughing at how inu-like he was acting in the aftermath of sex.

Another eternity passed before either one of them broke the silence. And it was Inuyasha who did so. "Koichii?" He asked.

It warmed Kagome's heart when he called her his beloved. "Yes?"

"I love you. I really do."

Kagome smiled and kissed him. "I love you too, Inuyasha. And I'll stay by your side… now and forever."


	13. I Loved Him as a Father

**LES: This is the second and last of the OC chapters, but it will probably be easier to swallow than the first one. Every InuKag fan loves the idea of InuKag pups. Japanese titles like "Okaa" and "Otou" and English titles like "Mother" and "Father" are both used in this story. However, the English words are pretty exclusive to just the descriptive parts. Any time a character is speaking out-loud, they will use the Japanese title.**

**Kenta: Inuyasha and Kagome's first born son. Kenta means "healthy/strong and big/stout".**

**Gina: Inuyasha and Kagome's newborn daughter. Gina means "silvery".**

**LES: Oh! By the way… HAPPY INUYASHA FANDOM DAY!**

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**Chapter XIII: I Loved Him as a Father**

It seemed strange to some that only two decades ago, the people of the village were just as unwelcoming to Youkai and their offspring as any other village in Feudal Japan. The people had grown up with the stories of the vicious hanyou Inuyasha who staked out the village for months, pretending to be friendly, before attacking and killing their beloved miko. The Goshinboku, where Inuyasha had been sealed was a place of fear and distrust, but also a symbol to the Youkai in the area of what could happen to those who cross a miko.

But, two decades later, not only was Inuyasha a welcome part of the village, but the people as a whole were more welcome to the friendly members of the youkai community.

Kenta had never had first-hand experience of the fear that came with being attacked and driven out by humans or youkai. He'd never felt the sorrow of losing his parents because of prejudice. He had an okaa who loved him, an otou who protected him, and a warm place to sleep each night. And it was all thanks to his otou: Inuyasha.

He leapt through the trees of Inuyasha's forest with the easy grace of a hanyou, even one only a dozen years old.

Kenta looked a great deal like his father, but there was a reason for that. Months after Inuyasha and Kagome were reunited; they decided to have a child but had trouble conceiving. Kagome was worried that Inuyasha, like so many hybrids, would experience fertility problems. It was Myouga who put their fears to rest by revealing to Inuyasha some secrets about hanyous that his father had unearthed once Izayoi became pregnant.

It turned out that hanyou in their normal states could not father children, but there was a way around that. The average hanyou was capable of reproducing while in their mortal form. But Inuyasha, who had a youkai side that was so powerful that he could transform physically into a full youkai, had another option. When his youki was strongest, on the night of the full moon, he could transform into his youkai form and father a true hanyou with Kagome.

The news had been met with equal parts joy and reservation. Inuyasha did not like the idea of having to transform anywhere near his wife. But Kagome was not afraid. The next full moon, she put the Tetsusaiga away and seduced her husband's youkai out to play. It turned out that Inuyasha had nothing to fear. Even as a youkai, he would not harm his mate. No youkai would deliberately harm their mate, even ones in a blood rage.

Inuyasha's youkai self preceded to fuck Kagome quite thoroughly and, within weeks, he was able to confirm that she had conceived.

In due time, Kenta had been born: a true hanyou just like Myouga had said. His childhood had been almost like any normal child growing up in the Feudal era. Like all hanyou, his first few months he grew at a quickened rate to get out of the helpless stage as quickly as possible. And then, once he was not so helpless, his growth slowed down until it matched the growth patterns of normal human children. It would stay that way until he reached maturity and it slowed down even more until he reached his adult aging rate. And, if Inuyasha was anything to judge by, Inuhanyou could end up living a thousand years or more.

Even after the time that had passed Inuyasha seemed to have barely aged a year. He had the look of a twenty year old, a trait that was shared with his wife despite her human blood because of their mating. His okaa and otou's bond was strong, strong enough that his otou's youki had infused his okaa giving her the lifespan of an Inuhanyou.

Kenta ran through the village on his strong, young legs, barely visible to the slow-moving humans that he passed. He had a set destination in mind: going back home. It was getting late now, and his okaa would be setting out dinner soon. Even knowing that her son was a hanyou and could handle himself, if need be, Kagome still worried about him as any mother would.

Within seconds, he had crossed the village and reached a hut that was on the edge of the forest, bigger than it used to be when Inuyasha and Kagome first married. He stepped into the doorway and immediately saw his otou sitting on the ground and playing with Gina, his new baby sister.

Gina was Inuyasha and Kagome's second child, and only a few weeks old. To a human, having two children separated by twelve years was nearly unthinkable, but not to the long-lived couple. With their life spans, they could have a dozen children, even spacing them out so far.

Gina stared, wide-eyed, at her father as he played a pup-game with her… a very simple one. He flicked his ears at her for her amusement. Every time his ears moved, she would smile and giggle, and reach up as if to grab onto her father's ears. But, occasionally she would flick her ears in return. That was what Inuyasha wanted. Like all pup-games, the play masked a serious purpose. A pup needed to learn how to control her ears, and this game taught her to do just that. All ready she was much better at focusing in on the sound of her parent's voices.

They were the sort of games that Inuyasha had played with Kenta when he was a very young pup. As he grew older, it turned into more mock-wrestling matches, like a litter of rough-and-tumble puppies might get into. Yet, despite the fact that Inuyasha was many times stronger than his young son, he never once harmed the boy. Just like with his mate, Inuyasha would not harm his offspring. He was certainly much gentler with his own children than any other children he had ever dealt with.

Kenta, who was eager for his otou's attention after Gina's birth weeks ago, jumped on his father's strong back and bit Inuyasha's ear. Not hard enough to hurt, but just a little nip and yank to get his otou's attention.

The elder hanyou growled, a sound that could be translated into something like 'watch yourself, pup', and flicked his ear away from his son to discourage anymore biting. But he wouldn't punish the boy. It was, after all, just another pup-game. "Oi, pup." Inuyasha said, turning his attention away from his daughter. "You'd better watch it, or you're gonna give your sister ideas for when she's older."

"I figured out those ideas all on my own, Otou, and she will too." Kenta laughed.

"What am I going to do with you?" Inuyasha asked rhetorically, drawing his son to himself. Kenta did not resist his father, burying himself into his father's chest and taking in his scent eagerly. Inuyasha's scent was one that he associated with home and safety, just like his okaa; and it had been that way since Kenta first imprinted on Inuyasha's scent minutes after birth. That sort of relationship didn't change, even after years. Inu were pack creatures, after all.

"Go get washed up, pup." Inuyasha told his son. "Your okaa will have dinner ready soon, and you know how she is about dirty hands at dinner."

Kenta did know and, eagerly anticipating dinner, he went to wash up.

Unlike the other houses in the village, Inuyasha's house had a water basin that was sorely for the purposes of washing up. Kenta had never known where his parents got the idea for such a thing. Others had, maybe, a bucket for washing hands when necessary, but their basin was large enough to wash a person. He had spent many hours of his youth avoiding the washing basin at all costs.

But it was just his hands that needed to be washed now, which he did quickly. He finished up and was about to head back toward where his okaa cooked when he stopped, staring into his parent's room. Something was different.

His mother was a very neat person, so it was very odd for anything to be out of place, and it only took a second for Kenta to spot what was 'wrong' with the room. A chest that was normally put up out of his reach was now down on the futon and opened.

Curious, he crept forward. He had never seen what was in this particular chest even though he asked a few times before. His parents always just told him that it contained items that belonged to his mother.

He glanced inside and was nearly disappointed. Clothes. But then he took a second look, and pulled one of the garments, a shirt of some kind, out. It was the strangest clothes that he'd ever seen before. He sniffed curiously. He couldn't even tell what sort of material that it was made out of. It didn't smell of linen or cotton or silk or any other fabric that he was familiar with. But it smelled overwhelmingly of his okaa.

He was about to reach for the next piece of fabric when he heard his otou step into the room. Inuyasha froze as soon as he saw what his son was holding, and knew immediately what was going on. Today was the anniversary of the day when Kagome had come back into his time to be with him, so she had obviously had brought the chest down to reminisce. The chest contained the clothes that she had been wearing when she came back, the only thing she had left to remind her of her own world. Inuyasha had worked hard to give her as many custom-made luxuries based on things she had from the future as much as possible, but he could only do so much with the limited resources of the Feudal Era. Kagome had probably forgotten to put the chest back in its place when she started dinner.

"Kenta." Inuyasha said, and Kenta froze, not quite sure what he'd call the tone of his father's voice. Inuyasha smelled of fear, nervousness, and sorrow. "Give that to me, and for Kami's sake, don't cut it with your claws." He said, holding out his hand.

Kenta glanced down at the cloth and then carefully handed it over to his father. Inuyasha took the cloth and, being very careful himself, slowly folded the fabric properly and returned it to the chest. Without a word, he closed the lid and returned the box to its place on a high shelf.

"Otou? What was that?" Kenta asked, curious.

For a while, Inuyasha did not answer or look at his son. But Kenta could hear his father's heart speed up. "It's… some clothes that belonged to your okaa when she was younger." Inuyasha answered.

But this answer was not enough to satisfy Kenta. "I could tell that from smell, Otou." He said. "But I've never seen any clothes like it before."

Inuyasha sighed. "They are clothes from your okaa's birth place. They had a lot of strange clothes there."

"Oh… Is Okaa from the continent?" Kenta asked.

Inuyasha didn't blame his son for not understanding. Had he not experienced the magic of the well first-hand he never would have believed the existence of Kagome's world in the future. For Inuyasha, and pretty much everyone in Feudal Japan, the entire world consisted of Nihon and the continent. Inuyasha had once seen a map of the world from the future, and had been shocked to learn that Japan was such a tiny piece of the world. Everyone knew that Nihon was smaller than the continent, but Inuyasha had never imagined that his home was so tiny compared to the size of the world. Kenta had been raised only on the knowledge of his own time. So if his mother had clothes foreign to Japan, she must be from China or the strange lands beyond.

"No, pup, your okaa is not from the continent. She was born here, in Nihon."

From the look on his son's face, Inuyasha knew that he wasn't going to get away with that answer. With a sigh, Inuyasha said "Come with me, son." This was enough to shock Kenta, because Inuyasha had pretty exclusively called him 'pup' all his life. Kenta followed his father outside and then burst into a run as Inuyasha took off into the forest.

Kenta kept pace with his father rather easily, matching him almost step-for-step as they made their way deeper into the woods. They did not go very far at all, only to a clearing that Kenta was very familiar with. His parents had brought him here to play often. A short distance away he could see the towering branches of the Goshinboku. The only feature of the clearing was an old dry well. He once heard the villagers talk about the mystic powers of the well, but he had no idea what those powers might be and, from what the villagers said, the magic no longer worked anyway.

Inuyasha came to a stop by the well, resting a hand on the framework as if greeting an old friend. He turned his attention back to his son. "This will be difficult to understand." He said. "Your mother is from this well."

If Kenta didn't know any better, he'd swear that his otou was playing a joke on him. But it was not in Inuyasha's nature to play jokes on his son… or anyone, really. Miroku-sama played a lot of jokes on and with the village children, but Inuyasha had never joined in. "From the well?" He repeated incredulously. His mother was a human, not a kappa, after all.

"I told you it would be hard to understand." Inuyasha said. "This well used to be a doorway into the world that your okaa is from. That world is about five hundred years in the future. Your mother is from this very area, but from a different time."

Kenta stepped closer to the well, and gazed down into its depths. He didn't see anything besides the dry ground at the bottom. Inuyasha stood at his son's side, but unlike the young hanyou, when Inuyasha looked down into the well, he could remember the strange world that was on the other side. He remembered Kagome's family, her village, her (often annoying) friends, and that damn Hojou who used to pester Kagome all the time.

"This is just a joke, right?" Kenta asked.

"I don't joke." Inuyasha said honestly. "Do you remember the stories I told you about Naraku?" Kenta nodded. It was impossible not to hear about his parent's and their friend's fight against Naraku in the village. The village took pride in its history and the heroes who were a part of that history. "Well, there is more to the story… your mother's part in the story."

With that, Inuyasha told his son about how his mother had been drawn into this world by an evil Youkai who sensed the Shikon jewel within her. He told his son how his mother could pass back and forth between the different times separated by the well and how he discovered that he could pass through as well. He told his son about some of the strange wonders that were present on that side of the well, at least as well as Inuyasha could explain it. Kagome could explain it better, but it would still be impossible to understand. And he finished by telling his son about the three years that Kagome had been trapped in her world and how she'd come back to him.

"Today is the anniversary of the day your Okaa came back to me." Inuyasha told his son. "That's why you found that chest down on the floor. When she came back, she didn't bring anything except the clothes she was wearing. Those clothes are all that she has left of her home. They are very important to her."

"She can't go back?"

"No, pup, only the long way." Inuyasha said. "But that's okay. I'll make sure that she gets there."

"Me too?" Kenta asked.

"Absolutely." Inuyasha nodded. "Then you can meet your Okaa's family."

"I hope so!" Kenta enthused. He gazed up at his father in awe.

Inuyasha was about to reply when he heard footsteps at the edge of the clearing. His ear turned in the direction and then the rest of him turned to face his wife. She stepped through the grass toward the well, carrying Gina in her arms. "I followed your youki." She said, coming up to meet her husband and son. "Although I'm shocked you didn't hear me. Dinner's been ready for several minutes now."

"Everything's fine." Inuyasha said. "Kenta found your old clothes from home. You left them out." Kagome's eyes widened in horror. Being married to a hanyou, and being the mother to another hanyou, she learned that non-youkai clothing and claws did not mix well. "The clothes are fine." Inuyasha said, reading his wife's expression. "But I had to tell him about the secret of the well."

"Oh." Kagome said. "Well… I suppose that it's impossible to keep it a secret forever…"

"Okaa? Is your home village really as big as Otou says?" Kenta asked in amazement.

"It is." Kagome said, smiling nostalgically. "My home village stretches as far as the eye can see in every direction… even to hanyou eyes."

It was clear from the expression on their son's face that he couldn't even begin to imagine a village of such immense size. "I wanna see it someday."

"You will, pup, you will." Inuyasha promised.

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**LES: This was going to be the last chapter. But I've decided to do one more chapter. It's going to be a bit different from the others, but I think it would be a good place to end. If you paid attention to this chapter, you might be able to guess about the next chapter. I don't know… maybe not. It's obvious to me.**


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